The Hogwarts Adventures of Eva and Iris
by Unidentified Pineapples
Summary: Eva and Iris begin their Second Year at Hogwarts. With secrets still being hidden, romances being thwarted by the introduction of new characters and the startling news that Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts, this promises to be an exciting year indeed!
1. Chapter 1

**First thing's first: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. If I did, certain people would not have died during the final book. Ugh!**

**Anyway, this story is a collaborative effort by myself and my very good friend - we'll just call her Eva (and you can call me Iris). This is our attempt at inserting ourselves into the wonderful world of Harry Potter – except this fic starts the year before the trio arrives to Hogwarts, so we'll be seeing a lot of Fred, George, Percy and Charlie in this fic. Hopefully it will take place over Eva and Iris's seven years of Hogwarts. Trust me, Eva and I are Harry Potter dorks with much time to kill. There is a very good chance we can get far with this. Okay, wow, enough rambling! Here you have chapter one.**

"Bugger!" thought Eva as she passed another yet full compartment. She really didn't feel like sharing with a whole crowd of people. She knew her father would be disappointed but she really couldn't find it in herself to care. After about ten minutes of not finding an empty compartment, she found one that only had a girl with blonde hair who was reading a book about werewolves. Eva figured it couldn't be the weirdest person she'd ever meet and gave in.

"Hey, uh I'm Eva Sinclair. Do you mind if I sit with you? Everywhere else is kinda full." The girl looked up from her book and smiled. Blonde with blue eyes how typical, thought Eva. She liked people who were beyond normal in looks because she wasn't, chocolate hair and eyes, same as half the world.

"Sure. I'd rather have company. I'm Iris Felix. It's nice to meet you." Eva smiled at her and sat down across from her.

"So werewolves? That's an interesting read. You're a first year right? I am. Do you know what house you gonna be in?" asked Eva.

"Oh, I don't know. I'd like Gryffindor though, or maybe Ravenclaw." answered Iris a bit shyly.

"Really? I'm gonna be a Slytherin for sure. I think I might get disowned if I'm not." Laughed Eva, "You see all of my family has been in Slytherin. Well my older brother was in Ravenclaw, but that's a respectful house according to my father."

"You're from a pure-blood family then?" asked Iris a little nervously "I'm from a regular family of wizards."

"In other words, you're mixed? Muggles and wizards in the family?" asked Eva. "Don't look so nervous, I'm gonna kill you because you're not pure-blood."

"I didn't think you were gonna kill me, I was just under the impression that pure-blood families hated the non-pure ones."

"True but I'm not like that. The pure-blood mania is over-rated. I don't do all that." Eva said.

Just then the candy trolley pulled up. "Anything from the trolley, dearies?" the elderly woman asked. Eva bought some chocolate frogs and lollipops. While Iris only bought the Chocolate wands. Iris explained to Eva she loved chocolate that it calmed her when she was nervous.

"We should probably change" said Eva. "I figure we'll be there soon."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

After they changed a prefect came around to inform them that they'd be arriving soon. He then ran off after 2 redheaded boys who seemed to be twins. They had made something explode in a Slytherin compartment. Eva sensed trouble in those two while Iris voiced her thought for her. Eva found Iris easy to talk to and get along with and could only hope they ended up in the same house or that they at least had classes together. When they arrived at the station all the first years were guided into boats. Eva saw the twins again; they were running away from another prefect. One of them noticed Eva staring at them and winked at her. Eva fought the urge to giggle after all these boys were Gryffindors and her father would never accept that. So she turned and followed Iris to the boats.

Iris, however; was oblivious to Eva's thoughts as she was caught in the amazing surroundings of Hogwarts. Iris got in the same boat as Eva, she was utterly amazed by the sheer presence of the castle at a distance. Once they arrived at the shore, Eva and Iris stuck together like they were wrapped in spello-tape. When they finally got to the entrance of what Iris figured was the grand hall she had read about, they were met by a professor.

"Hello students. I am Professor McGonagall; it is a pleasure to welcome you all. In a few short minutes, you will be sorted into your proper houses. You will then sit with your house-mates." She said and with that she turned around and guided them all to the Grand Hall. Iris was fascinated with the floating candles, so was Eva but she'd never admit it. Eva looked around, she saw the Slytherin table and it looked cold, kinda like her house did when her Father or brother weren't home. She admitted that she didn't wanna be there but she would never disappoint her father or worse, her grandmother. After her mother's death, Eva's grandmother dedicated herself to Eva and her older brother, Albert Henry. Eva was so caught up in her thoughts she almost didn't hear Iris's name called. Iris looked nervous.

"A smart one, you would do well in Ravenclaw but your bravery would make you suitable for Gryffindor," said the sorting hat to Iris. "You don't mind where I put you, do you? Hmmm, I know exactly the House for you! GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table exploded with applause. Eva couldn't help but feel let down, Iris smiled apologetically to Eva. She did feel bad but still had hope Eva would be in Gryffindor too. When the time had come and Eva's name had been called. Eva couldn't help but feel nervous, she was so conflicted. This was too much stress for an 11 year old.

"Hmmm, well your very difficult to place, young lady. A perfect match for Slytherin but bravery runs thick in your veins, the heart of a Gryffindor. You're clever and cunning, however and would do great things in no other House but SLYTHERIN!"

Her fate was decided much like anyone else's. She was now a Slytherin. Just what her family wanted, but Eva couldn't help but feel a little sad. She saw the twins again and couldn't help and notice that one of them was frowning. Iris smiled at her sadly, too as the Slytherin's welcomed her and they introduced themselves to her. Her family would be happy but why wasn't she?

Iris smiled sadly at Eva as she went to sit with the Slytherins. Despite what Eva had said about her entire family being in the notoriously evil house, Iris had still held out hope that the two would be together in Gryffindor. Now, that hope was crushed.

"Oi! Pass the mashed potatoes!"

Iris turned to see one of the red-headed twins staring at her expectantly. She quickly looked down and saw that the famous Start-Of-Term Feast had begun, and all four House tables plus the teachers' table was now laden with every type of food imaginable!

Iris smiled and handed the red-head twin the bowl.

"You'll have to excuse my brothers," another red-haired boy sitting across from her said. He appeared to be slightly older than the twins. "They get absolutely ravenous when any type of food is placed before them. I'm Percy Weasley, by the way. And those two are my obnoxiously annoying brothers, Fred and George."

Iris smiled sheepishly. "Iris Felix."

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Iris. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask."

"Hey! That's not fair!" one of the twins complained, jumping into the conversation.

"Yeah!" the other twin chimed in. "When we were first years last year, you never offered us any help!"

"It's because you're both hopeless cases," Percy spat, turning back to his food and ignoring his brothers.

"You know what, George? Come to think of it, I don't think he's ever offered help to anyone before," the twin named Fred said.

"Well, except that Penelope Clearwater girl," George said. "But that's only because…"

Suddenly both twins' faces lit up with huge smiles. The one closest to Percy – Fred – began to nudge the older brother with his elbow. Iris was confused, but didn't say anything.

"No," Percy asserted, probably a little louder than he should have. "No, that's not the reason."

"Oh, come on, Perce," George teased. "You've only had your eye on Penelope Clearwater for a year and a half now. _Everyone_ knows."

"Yeah," Fred chimed in. "And Iris isn't too bad looking herself. Sounds like someone over there has a little bit of a cr-."

"If you two do not _shut up_," Percy hissed, "I'm going to personally make sure that mum sends you both extra itchy sweaters for Christmas this year!"

The two gasped. "You _wouldn't_."

"Try me."

There was silence at the table for a moment, then Fred spoke. "Come on, George. Let's go find Lee." And with that the twins rose and found other seats further down the table.

"Sorry about them," Percy apologized. "They can be such children sometimes."

"It's okay," Iris admitted. "I kinda like them."

With that, Iris tucked happily into her food.

Eva watched the scene between Iris and the red-headed boys from where she sat at the Slytherin table. If she was being totally honest with herself, she was slightly jealous of her new friend. She wished she was sitting beside the blonde chatting up the red-haired boys.

"What are you doing staring at their lot?" a fellow Slytherin boy asked Eva. "Ugly, self-righteous gits. You'd do best to say away from them. They think they're all noble, but at the end of the day, it's the pure-blood Slytherins that win out. Trust me. You've been sorted into the best House there is. You'll do well amongst us."

Eva turned back to her plate and ate quietly.

By the end of dinner, each girl had made a few friends. Their bellies were full, and they were led to their separate Dormitories – Iris's being behind the picture of the obnoxious Fat Lady and Eva's being located behind the stone gargoyle in the dungeons.

By midnight, Eva was just drifting off to sleep in her cozy bed when she heard a faint tapping coming from somewhere high above her. Being deep under Hogwarts, the ceilings in the dungeon were fairly high up. Just at the top, Eva could make out a tiny window that allowed the tiniest rays of moonlight into her Dormitory. Just through the window was a brown and white owl, tapping furiously at the glass.

Curiously, Eva pulled out her wand and whispered, "_Alohamora_," causing the small window to click open. She was thankful her brother had taught her a few spells before she came to Hogwarts.

The owl soared down, dropped a note onto Eva's bed then soared back out the window. The bird was so silent, not a single girl in the room woke. It was perfect.

Eva grabbed the note and read it:

_Eva,_

_Sorry to see we were sorted into separate Houses. If you would like, we could still be friends. I have Potions class first tomorrow. I don't know what you're schedule is like, but I'll save you a cauldron next to mine just in case you have Potions as well. I'm fairly good with Potions, so if you need any help, just let me know. See you tomorrow._

_ -Iris_

_P.S. The owl's name is Fester. He's mine, but feel free to use him to send messages if you need to._

Eva smiled as she tucked the note away where the other girls wouldn't find it. First year wouldn't be so bad especially if Iris was still willing to be her friend. Eva checked her schedule and found that she did in fact have potions first class too. She gave a thought to what the other Slytherins would say but she cared so little for it, that it didn't bother her at all. She tucked herself back into bed with a smile on her face, glad that she wouldn't be so alone.

**Feedback is always appreciated. Eva and I like to look at the reviews and see what you guys think. We appreciate your honest opinions and laugh at any flames. So let us know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Again, there is no owning of anything Harry Potter related on mine and Eva's part. We just came up with the characters Eva and Iris.**

**Hey guys, so this is chapter two! Eva and I are very much enjoying writing this story. You have no idea how much of Harry Potter nerds we both are. So anyway, enjoy!**

The next morning both Eva and Iris rushed to Breakfast, each hoping to see the other. Fate was on their side as they ran into each other at the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Iris! Good morning! Hope you slept well. It turns out I have potions with you! Isn't that great?" exclaimed Eva as soon as she approached her. Iris smiled with excitement and hugged Eva.

"I'm so glad" she said as she let go of Eva. "So we'll sit next to each other than? IT doesn't matter that we're in different houses does it?"

"Of course! Why should it matter? If it doesn't bother you, I could care less what everyone else thinks." Said Eva, as she walked towards her table. She spotted the red-headed brothers again. Actually it was kind of hard to miss them, they were on the table dancing and simply being nuisances. Eva couldn't help but smile, they kind of reminded her of her brother who was also outgoing and a bit of a prankster himself.

"I don't mind so it'll be great, we'll be friends no matter what anyone else says!" Iris exclaimed bringing Eva back from her previous thoughts. Eva turned to Iris and smiled. She was glad that she could have at least one friend who wasn't interested in her because of her family.

"Hey Iris, I saw you talking to those boys yesterday. Who are they? They seem to be quite the troublemakers." asked Eva.

"They're the Weasley brothers. The ones on the table are the twins, Fred and George, they're second years. The two redheads trying to get them down are Charlie and Percy. Charlie is a seventh year, he's head boy, and Percy is a fourth year, I think." Iris answered "Why do you ask? Fancy them? They are quite handsome, aren't they?

Eva couldn't help but blush a bit. "Of course not! I was just curious is all! One of the twins was staring at me like he wanted to talk to me so I at least wanted to know his name."

"Ok calm down. I was just messing with you." Iris smiled a bit. "I like your hair by the way. It looks nice curly." Eva thanked her for the compliment. She had quickly tied her hair into 2 pigtails today in hopes of getting ready faster, it was childish but effective. Iris had her curly hair loose which made her look older than Eva.

"I-" Before Eva could finish her sentence the twins, Fred and George she remembered, had made their way over to where they were standing.

"Well, well fraternizing with the enemy, eh? I am so disappointed in you, Iris" said the taller one, it was barely noticeable a few centimeters but Eva was good with details.

"Yeah and with a Slytherin no less!" exclaimed the other.

"Oh be quiet, Fred!" said Iris "You too, George. I can be friends with whomever I want there's no rule that says a Gryffindor and Slytherin can't get along."

"Yeah!" agreed Eva. "I have enough of that from my family. I don't wanna deal with those types of limitations here too."

The twins looked at each other and smiled. They had thought that the girls would immediately separate or back down like all first years do but it seemed these girls had more backbone than most first years. Before anything else could be said, the oldest Weasley brother interrupted.

"Stop bothering girls you two! How many times have I told you that? And first years at that!" Charlie exclaimed as he grabbed his brothers by the collar of their shirts. He looked like an older version of the twins, nicer though.

"Aw, Charlie we weren't being mean, right George?" said Fred

"Yeah we were just making sure they were getting on alright." Said George.

"Right and mum's decided that she's letting me grow out my hair and get a tattoo. Come on, boys." Said Charlie

"Actually, Head Boy, they weren't bothering us. They were just wondering why Iris and I got along considering we're from different houses." Eva defended. She couldn't explain why but she felt the need to defend the boys from the wrath of their older brother. They had, after all, said nothing particularly insulting.

"Is that so, Miss...?"

"Sinclair, Eva Sinclair."

"Well, Miss Sinclair I'll take your word and I'll let these miscreants live. You're lucky this pretty girl defended you boys." With Charlie grinned and turned to stop some boys from blowing up their breakfast. The boys grinned at Eva.

"Thanks never thought I'd be defended by a Slytherin, though." Said George.

"Right you are George but stranger things have happened. Thank you, Miss Sinclair, we owe your our behinds. Mum would have pulverized us if we got in trouble so early." grinned Fred.

"You're Welcome." Eva said, blushing once more. "Please, call me Eva."

Fred smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Fred Weasley, by the way. What poor manners of me to not introduce myself to our savior and a pretty one at that." Fred winked as Eva shook his hand.

"I'm this git's twin, George. Nice to meet you, Eva." He also shook her hand. "Well you better get some breakfast before you're late to class. We gotta run anyway, eh Fred? Mischief and all that." He turned to nudge his brother who was shamelessly staring at Eva and left.

"Huh? Right, better get going then. Hope to see you soon, Eva. You too Iris." Said Fred before turning to follow his brother.

"Well that was unexpected, huh?" said Iris. "I think Fred likes you Eva."

"Really? What would give you that idea?" answered Eva. "Him staring at me or the fact that he said he hopes to see me later? He's a Gryffindor, Iris and a Weasley at that! My Grandmother would never approve!"

"Really? That's too bad he's really sweet and he seems to genuinely like you. You shouldn't listen to what your family says, Eva. Follow your heart, that's the opinion that really matters."

"If only I could Iris, If only I could" Eva said sadly.

"Oh, you're being such a party pooper!" Iris exclaimed, exasperated. "Come on, let's get to Potions! We can't be late for our very first class."

Iris practically dragged Eva through the corridors and down the changing staircases. "You're _so_ slow," Iris kept saying over her shoulder.

Finally, and with three minutes to spare, the two reached the dungeon and entered the Potions classroom. A few students were already there, eagerly waiting by their cauldrons. Iris quickly spotted two empty cauldrons next to each other and practically sprinted across the room to acquire them before any other student could.

"You know," Eva commented, "you confuse me. One second you're very quiet and subdued, and the next you're practically giddy with excitement. I don't get you."

"Yeah, no one really does," Iris bounced up and down. "But this is Potions! How can you not love Potions? It's only, like, the greatest subject _ever!_"

"Wow," Eva said, trying to contain her laughter. "Um, okay?"

"You'll love it!" Iris practically screamed. She quickly covered her mouth upon realizing the Potions Master had walked into the room. Professor Snape. Fred and George had told her that he was a slimy git who hated Gryffindor and never seemed to wash his hair, but Percy told her that as long as you stayed on his good side, he was more or less a fair teacher. She wasn't sure who to believe.

"Welcome to your first Potions class," Professor Snape began. "I do not expect many of you to find this class easy. Nor do I even expect some of you to pass this class with anything above an Acceptable. However, that is neither here nor there, so we may as well begin the first lesson so you can get the suffering over with and leave this class disheartened and disappointed in your very existence."

"Not a very cheerful character, is he?" Eva whispered.

Iris shushed her and kept listening with rapt attention. She found this all so fascinating.

For their first lesson, Professor Snape had them brew a simple sleeping potion – used to help any witch or wizard drift off into the world of slumber. A few times throughout the lesson Eva looked to Iris pleadingly, totally at a loss for what to do. Quietly, Iris offered help to her friend, only to find that Eva still had trouble with the Potion. Iris didn't understand Eva. It was all so simple. Each ingredient worked in harmony with the next to help build, strengthen and fortify the potion until, after an hour and a half, it fully came to fruition.

By the end of the class, Iris was standing beside her cauldron with a look of pure triumph on her face, while Eva was standing there utterly defeated and trying not to make eye contact with Snape. She felt guilty for letting down her own Head of House. She knew he expected better from her.

As Snape inspected each cauldron individually, Iris couldn't help but glow with pride. Hers was clearly the best in the class, and she was hoping Snape might reward her efforts with some House points. He didn't.

"Miss Sinclair," Snape said, coming to a halt beside Eva's cauldron. "Despite your best efforts, this potion has resulted in nothing short of revulsion." Eva cringed. "However, unlike many of your fellow classmates," Snape continued, glaring pointedly at Iris, "you acted alone and of your own will. This horrendous potion is your making and yours alone. 5 points to Slytherin."

_What?_ Iris thought. That wasn't fair! Eva was the one who had asked for help with her potion, not Iris. Those House Points should be hers.

Iris saw a glint out of the corner of Snape's eye and had to stifle a gasp. He _knew_ Eva had been the one who needed help. He knew Iris's potion was perfect. He was just being a selfish git and awarding the points to his own House instead. Iris was beginning to side with Fred and George about what a prick Snape could be.

When Snape dismissed the class, Eva began to walk out with Iris.

"I can't believe I just got 5 House points! On my first day and everything!"

"Yeah. Good job-."

"Miss Felix," Snape's voice cut through the din of the dispersing class. "Kindly remain behind for a word."

Eva and Iris exchanged confused glances.

"Uh, I guess I'll meet up with you later then," Eva said. She waved good-bye to Iris and left for her next class.

Iris remained until the last of the students had filed out of the class. Snape was busying himself with charming away the potions left behind in the cauldrons. When he didn't speak for a few moments, Iris decided to break the tension in the room. "Yes, Professor Snape?"

"Dumbledore has brought it to the attention of the entire staff about your _condition_," he said, now placing the potion ingredients back in their rightful places in the cupboard. He never once paused to look at her. "He's asked me to brew a special potion for you: the Wolfsbane Potion. I'm sure you are familiar with it."

"Well, yes," Iris said, hesitantly. "But I've never actually taken it before. I have to admit I'm kind of nerv-."

Snape cut her off. "You are to come to my office three hours before sunset on the day of your transformation. You will drink the potion, and then I will escort you to the Whomping Willow where you will follow the path beneath the tree that leads to the Shrieking Shack. You are to tell no one of where you will be. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Iris replied quietly. "But -."

"Good. Now leave. I've another class about to begin."

Iris wanted to talk more about the arrangements made for her, but knew Snape was done talking. She would only get herself into more trouble if she stayed. She grabbed her books and headed for the chamber door, almost colliding directly with Percy Weasley.

"Iris," he smiled at the sight of her. "What are you still doing here? Your class ended a few minutes ago."

"Professor Snape wanted to speak with me."

"About what?" the fourth year questioned.

"Oh, nothing important," she responded quickly, pushing past him to leave the dungeon.

The last thing on this earth she wanted was for Percy Weasley to know about her condition. What would he think of her if he were ever to find out?

Eva walked into her Charms class wondering what Snape could possibly want with Iris. The previous class had just ended as she entered. Her books where knocked out of her arms by the soon-to-be banes of her existence. Fred and George Weasley once again, she thought. Yet she couldn't find herself to be angry especially since Fred stayed behind to help her.

"Sorry about that. We really don't see where we run off to sometimes and we always cause trouble, willingly and unwillingly." He smiled as he picked up Eva's books. "I'll put these on your desk for you."

"No, Fred, really you don't have too." Eva said trying to stop him.

"Nonsense! I dropped them, it's the least I could do." He winked at Eva and put her books on a desk he chose for her. "Besides, a pretty girl deserves to have her books carried for her."

Eva couldn't help but blush and look away. She never had a boy pay her this kind of attention before. She decided she liked it, even if this boy was a Weasley and a Gryffindor. She looked up to find him grinning at her.

"You're really cute when you blush." He said. "Bet you already knew that, though. You must have a ton of boys after you."

"Well not really." Eva said. "I usually ignore most boys who talk to me."

"Oh, I'm special then?" he laughed. "You're really something else, you know? As lovely as it has been speaking to you, Miss Sinclair, I must get to class or I'll be in a world of trouble." He picked up her hand and kissed it. He grinned and winked at her again before turning to leave.

Eva had never felt herself go as red as she did that moment. She was pretty sure she rivaled his hair color and that she enjoyed every minute of it. As Iris was walking into the classroom, Fred was exiting after leaving a very flustered Eva behind.

"Oh hey, Iris! Good luck in class!" yelled Fred as he ran to his next class.

"Thanks!" yelled Iris. She was thrilled to find Eva had another class with her. She took the seat next to Eva and quickly noticed something was different.

"Something happen?" asked Iris concerned. Eva looked dazed and was a little pink.

"No, nothing. I just had a moment with Fred Weasley." Eva told her smiling.

"Really! What happened? I wanna know every detail!" Iris exclaimed. She was thrilled Eva had hit it off with Fred. Even more that Eva was so distracted telling her all about her encounter with Fred, she didn't ask about her meeting with Snape. Professor Flitwick decided he'd start with an easy spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa, is the easiest spell for first years to learn." explained Professor Flitwick. "So give it a try."

After many burnt feather and flying objects destroying half the classroom, it was decided that class was over. It was then time for lunch. Eva and Iris sat together and chatted about the events of the day.

"How cool is it that we have all our classes together!" asked Eva. "I can't believe our luck."

"Yeah, you're right." said Iris. "Eva, have you noticed the Slytherins have been pointing and laughing at you?"

"Yeah, I noticed. Can't say I really care though." said Eva nonchalantly. Iris was surprised that Eva was strong enough to ignore it all. "It's probably because of what happened with Fred."

"Why would that matter?" asked Iris.

"Well the Weasleys are known as muggle-lovers and they're poor. At least that's what my grandmother tells me. I usually block her out when she starts ranting though." explained Eva. "I'm expecting an owl from her actually. I know someone ratted me out."

"That's horrible! Why should it matter?" said Iris.

"Yeah but that's the way things are with pure-blood families, Iris. That's the way it's always been. It started with my great-great-great grandfather, Salazar Slytherin." Said Eva, she quickly covered her mouth when she realized what she had said. Iris dropped her spoon and her mouth hung open. Eva hadn't just said she was Slytherin's descendent, had she?

"What?" Iris asked incredulously.

"Nothing," Eva said quickly. "No, it's nothing."

"Eva, it's not nothing," Iris said, still shaken. "It's a very _big_ something. It's… it's…."

"Nothing we need to talk about," Eva asserted. "No one needs to know. I'm not actually supposed to tell anyone."

Eva looked down sheepishly, clearly embarrassed and pissed at herself for making such a careless mistake. Her grandmother was going to royally kill her.

"Not supposed to tell anyone what?" came a voice from behind the two friends. They both turned quickly to see Percy Weasley standing there, looking at them with curiosity.

Eva froze. She hadn't expected the boy to be there, and her mind suddenly went blank as to what to tell him.

"What her parents do for a living," Iris answered simply. If Eva hadn't known the real answer to that question, she would've thought Iris was telling the truth. "Apparently they're very high up in the Ministry, but Eva refuses to elaborate as to what that actually means."

The two girls exchanged quick glances in which Eva thanked Iris for covering for her and Iris gave a look that said _Don't mention it._

"Well, then if she's not supposed to tell, she should be allowed to keep her secrets." Percy smiled at Eva. "Anyway, Iris I was wondering if you wanted any help with your homework. I know some professors like to weigh their students down with homework on the first day, and if you were free, I'd be willing to give you a hand."

"Oh," Iris said, taken aback. "Well, I was going to hang out with Eva."

Eva gave Iris a nudge. "No. Go right ahead. I should get back to my House table anyway. Snape's been shooting glances over here for ten minutes now. I think I'm an embarrassment to his House or something… That's kinda awesome!"

Iris laughed and gave Eva a playful shove. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Night," Eva said over her shoulder as she stood and made her way toward the Slytherin table.

"Well, then," Percy said. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Iris responded. The two walked side-by-side back to the Gryffindor common-room.

Percy spent the next few hours with Iris, helping her with assignments and beginning papers, explaining to her what certain professors expected in class and how to earn House points from McGonagall. In all actuality though, the homework was nothing Iris couldn't handle herself, but she loved hanging out with Percy so much. He was kind and friendly and a true gentleman. She felt so comfortable around him.

Before they both knew it, the common room had emptied except for the two of them. At least, until Charlie strode down from the Boys' Dormitory.

"What's going on?" the Head Boy asked. "Iris, it's past midnight. You should be in bed. Percy, how could you let a fellow student stay up so late into the night? And a first year at that. If you want to make Prefect next year, you'll have to do better than this."

"We were just finishing up, actually," Percy defended. "Iris, you should probably go up to bed. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Oh," Iris said. "Alright then."

Before Percy could get out a proper "goodnight", Iris had already bounced up the stairs and pulled the door to the Girls' Dormitory quietly behind her.

She thought about climbing directly into bed and falling right asleep, but she decided to compose a note to Eva before slipping into Dream Land. She quickly grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote:

_Eva,_

_Sorry about leaving you like that at dinner. But Percy was just _so_ sweet to me while I worked on my homework. I think… well I think I might actually like him. I'll have to tell you all about it later! And speaking of things to tell, I still want to hear all about how Salazar Slytherin is your great-great-great grandfather. You can't just leave me in suspense like this!_

_-Iris_

When she was done, she quickly grabbed Fester, handed him the note and sent him out through the window into the night. She then proceeded to climb into bed and fall asleep.

Meanwhile, in the Boy's Dormitory Fred and George were busy stifling their tittering as they gently dipped Lee's hand into a bowl of warm water. It was juvenile, they knew it, but the opportunity was just too great to pass up.

"Hey, what's that?" George whispered to his twin and pointed out the window.

"That, my dear brother," Fred replied, "is an owl."

"And it appears," George continued, "to have come from the Girl's Dormitory. Our new friend Iris, perhaps?"

"Oh, I am all over this!" Fred quietly exclaimed as he scurried to the window. He threw it open, pointed his wand at the bird and said, "_Accio note._"

The note Iris had written not three minutes before sailed through the open window and into Fred's hand. He quickly shut the window before Fester could fly in and peck him to death.

"What does it say?" George asked, coming to a halt beside his brother.

Fred unfolded the note and read it twice before handing it to George who read it three times then looked up at Fred incredulously.

"Iris is having feelings for Percy?" George asked.

"Eva is a descendent of Salazar Slytherin?" Fred asked.

And that was the sound of the shit hitting the fan.

**Oooooh, drama! Okay guys, so now it's your turn. Please review. We would really love to know what you guys think of this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, you guys have no idea how much Eva and I are really getting into this story. This is so much fun! However, we've decided that with Iris and Eva being only eleven years old, they are too young for any relationships. But don't fret, there will still be plenty of shameless flirting, which will make it all the more epic when relationships do begin to form. Anyway, I'm rambling again. Here is chapter three. Enjoy!**

For once, Fred and George debated whether their curiosity was good or not. Never in a million years did they imagine to find such an informative note. The question was what could they do with this new found information? Should they pretend they never learned of it or should they act upon it?

"I can't believe Iris likes that git Percy!" exclaimed George from his bed.

"And I can't believe I fancy an actual Slytherin. Being in the House is one thing, but being related to the man is a completely different thing," said Fred, his voice slightly muffled due to his face being buried in a pillow.

"Yeah, you—wait a bloody minute, what!" George sat up from his bed and tackled his brother. "What do you mean you fancy her? Why hadn't you told me?"

"Get off me!" yelled Fred as he pushed his brother off of him and unto the floor. "Stop making so much noise, you're gonna wake up Lee."

"Who bloody cares about Lee? I wanna know about your feelings!" said George sitting up on the floor. "I'm deeply hurt that you hadn't told me."

"Sorry, bro, I was still debating it and I wasn't sure if it was an actual fancy or attraction. I mean she is really pretty and smart too." sighed Fred. "But she's a Slytherin; she'd never look my way twice if I didn't force her too."

"That's true," said George. He'd never seen his brother so sad about a girl. "But you never know. I have caught her staring at you sometimes. She can tell us apart too and that's always a plus."

"She can?" Fred asked sitting up in his bed. "How do you figure?"

"Well when I was walking down the hall earlier, she passed me by," George said. "She waved at me and said, 'Hi, George' without even double checking if she was right or not. She just knew. Bloody amazing if you ask me."

Fred took this into consideration. Maybe he had a chance, after all. Well, she hadn't hexed him for the earlier scene in the Charms class. He thought he had made it pretty obvious he fancied her. He informed George of the incident and his thoughts.

"Well, you see?" said George "She does fancy you. Any other Slytherin would have hexed you straight into the hospital wing, first year or not."

"She's a little different from most Slytherins. I mean she does hang out with Iris." said Fred. "That should count for something, right?" George only nodded.

"We best send it on its way, Fred," George said, sealing the note and making sure it looked unopened.

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Fred. The owl, Fester, had been waiting impatiently, knowing that this note wasn't intended for the boys but for Eva. The twins handed the note to the owl.

"On your way, now." said George.

"To Eva Sinclair" said Fred a bit distracted.

George looked at his brother confused. What in the world was going on? Fred had never showed any real interest in a girl before, not even Angelina Johnson who had been the brief object of his affection. Wicked things this way come, thought George.

The next morning Eva awoke early, she had received the letter from Iris the night before and she wasn't too sure what to tell her friend. Her grandmother had forbid her from saying anything - she said it was dangerous for her and her siblings. She had said that heirs of Slytherin were not liked - even hated. Eva was so confused. She was sure Iris wouldn't hate her for it; she wouldn't hate Iris if she had something different about her.

Eva looked around at the other girls fast asleep. She took her time getting ready, fixing her hair so it was in a high ponytail that still ended past her shoulders. She had cut it to her shoulders but it was less of a hassle long; easier to tie and get out of the way. She also applied an anti-frizz charm she had learned from her sisters. She didn't have much contact with them but she loved them just the same. Cecile and Karmen Sinclair were daughters from her father's first marriage.

Cecile had been a Gryffindor and Karmen a Hufflepuff. Grandmother didn't like them all that much for disgracing the family or whatever the old woman saw wrong. Personally, Eva thought they were great. She looked at herself in the mirror; she straightened her tie and pulled on her sweater. It was time to face the new day.

Eva made her way down to the Great Hall where she found Iris seated beside Fred and George. All three were enjoying a lovely breakfast of French toast, bacon and eggs. She watched as Fred pointed to something at the opposite end of the table, and as Iris and George turned to see what it was, he quickly snatched two pieces of bacon off of each of their plates. When they turned back and saw what the red-head had done, Iris playfully hit him on the shoulder while George took the less subtle approach and reached across the table and snatched Fred's entire piece of French toast. The three laughed audibly.

Eva walked over and took a seat beside Iris. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that Fred's smile turned into some expression of unease. But when she looked back, it was gone.

"Morning, sunshine!" Iris greeted, passing her friend a plate of eggs. "Ready for day two of Hogwarts?"

"Hell yes!" Eva exclaimed. "We've got Defense Against The Dark Arts today. Ironically enough, that's a favorite amongst my family. Go figure."

"Sweet!" Iris said. "You'll have to tutor me if I need help."

George scoffed. "I thought Percy was tutoring you," he said with an air of bitterness.

"Um, well he was helping me with my homework last night," Iris explained. "But I didn't expect him to help me with everything."

"Good," George began. "Because he's a fourth year, and he's going to be really busy himself. He's not really gonna have much time to spend with you. Ow! Fred, what did you kick me for?"

"Oh, sorry, was that you?" Fred asked innocently.

"Yes! That was my leg," George complained.

Eva and Iris watched the two with confusion. "Um, are you okay today? You seem a little off," Eva said to George.

"Peachy," the shorter twin replied curtly.

The conversation suddenly grew awkward as a silence hung in the air. After of few moments of uncomfortable tension, Fred said, "Okay, well we should probably get going, right George? Gotta get to History of Magic first or else we won't get the seats in the back where Professor Binns can't see us sleeping. Let's go, George!"

George grumbled and stood up in a huff. "Bye, Eva," he said, then turned and exited the Great Hall.

"Don't mind him," Fred said. "Lee stuck his hand in warm water last night. He's not too used to being on the opposite end of the prank. He'll be over it by dinner time. Promise. Anyway, I'll see you two later."

Before the second twin exited the Great Hall, he gave a slight bowing gesture to Eva. She blushed and retained a giggle as she watched him walk away.

"What the heck is up with George?" Iris asked, slightly upset. "Is he mad at me or something? Why did he only say good-bye to you?"

"I don't know," Eva said sincerely. "But Fred is just too cute. I mean, did you see how he bowed just now? Ugh, Iris, what am I supposed to do about him?"

"I don't know, Eva. But what I do know is that if we're not in McGonagall's class in two minutes, she's going to kill us!"

Quickly the two girls downed a glass of orange juice and sprinted out of the Great Hall and up some staircases toward Transfiguration class.

Upon reaching the classroom, the two quickly found two vacant seats beside one another and sat down. A few minutes went by and Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, Iris got antsy and turned toward to the door to see if their professor was coming. She was shocked to see a tabby cat stride into the room and walk through the aisles of students like it belonged there.

"Well this is just typical," Iris said. "We've got stray cats walking in, yet still no professor."

Suddenly and somewhat magically – for magic is indeed what it was – the cat reached the front of the room and began to grow larger. As it grew, it took on the physical form of a human being – a woman. And in a matter of moments, there stood Professor McGonagall.

The class erupted into cheers and applause! Some whistled while others clapped. What a way to begin a class!

"An animagus!" Eva whispered to Iris in awe. "I've heard of those. They're people who can change into animals. Oh, how I would love to be an animagus. I hear it takes years and years of hard work and practice, but I figure it must be worth it, right? I mean, how cool would be to transform into animal!"

Eva was too focused on her own fantasies to notice that Iris wasn't smiling at the idea. What she wouldn't give to be able to _not_ transform into an animal. For that's what she truly was. An animal.

She attempted to push away the thoughts and focus on the lesson that McGonagall was now beginning.

McGonagall's class was quick and easy. It was basically a lesson on how Transfiguration should and shouldn't be used. After class Eva and Iris walked together to their Defense Against The Dark Arts class.

"I would kill to be an Animagus," exclaimed Eva. "Well not really but I would like to do it very much."

"Yeah, you never know. If you try you could do it," encouraged Iris nervously. "You are very brilliant."

"I am not!" said Eva. "I can't even brew a proper sleep draught. You on the other hand, you're good at everything you try. You should have been in Ravenclaw."

"Oh stop!" said Iris blushing. "We're both brilliant, how about that?"

"I think I could live with that." Eva grinned. "Hey, I think I figured why George was angry at you."

"Really? Why do you think? Tell me, tell me!" yelled Iris jumping up and down pulling on Eva's robes.

"Okay, okay!" yelled Eva tying to pull away from the blonde. "For Slytherin's sake, just let go!"

"Sorry, Ev, I got excited" said Iris letting go of the brunette. "Won't happen again, promise."

"It's okay." Eva smiled at her. "Well anyway, I figure George fancies you. I think he was jealous. I've seen that expression on my brother and cousins before. I grew up with boys you know."

"No, it couldn't be!" said Iris disbelievingly. "I mean…why would he fancy me?"

"Well you're smart and pretty. So you have that going for you." Eva said "It's not totally impossible, Iris."

"Hmm..." Iris wondered if her friend could be right. She didn't notice anything particularly different in the way George treated her. Fred went out of his way to show his admiration to Eva, surely George would do the same. They were twins after all; Iris was surprised that Eva disagreed after she had voiced her opinion.

"Just because they're twins, doesn't mean they have to be exactly the same" said Eva. "My brother and I are nothing alike."

"You and your brother aren't twins!" said Iris

"Right, right!" said Eva nervously. "I meant…you know siblings aren't supposed to be copies of each other. Just because they're twins doesn't mean they're clones. They're two completely different people." Eva said everything in such a rush that Iris couldn't help but feel suspicious. There was no way Eva could have a twin, could she? Surely she would have told Iris. That was something important friends told each other, right? She decided to dismiss it for the time being. Eva would tell her when she was ready.

"You're right. But still it's a bit weird that he should," said Iris. The conversation was lost, however when they arrived to their class. Rumor was that no Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher could hold the position for more than year. They said the job was jinxed. Iris didn't believe in such things but this one did seem to hold through. The current teacher was Professor Salvias - she was said to be gifted in the dark arts and the kindest woman you could possibly meet.

They entered the room and saw to their dismay that there were no two seats available next to each other. Grumbling slightly, the two reluctantly split apart – Iris took a seat beside a prissy looking Ravenclaw while Eva found an empty chair next to a fellow Slytherin. It was a few minutes before the class would start, so Iris pulled out her books and wand and set them on the desk. The Ravenclaw girl turned to her.

"Why do you hang out with that Slytherin girl?" the Ravenclaw questioned snottily.

"What?" Iris asked, slightly offended.

"You _do_ know she's a Slytherin right?"

"Yeah, I do," Iris stated almost aggressively.

"I hear she comes from one of the most powerful pure-blood families around." The girl cast a sideways glance across the room toward Eva. It looked as though she was afraid Eva was going to hex her any second.

"So?" Iris defended. "Just because she comes from that family doesn't mean she acts like her family. Bloody hell, you don't even _know_ her, so don't you dare start talking about things you don't understand. Eva is my best friend here, and I'll be damned if I let you talk about her like that."

Iris made to stand up to find another seat, but found that there were no other available desks. She sat down grudgingly. "Don't talk to me anymore," Iris threatened.

From across the room, Eva saw Iris stand up furiously then sit back down. She furrowed her brow, wondering what could have happened between her and the Ravenclaw girl to set her off.

"If you're going to keep worrying about Gryffindors like that," came the voice of the Slytherin boy from beside Eva, "you may as well go right up to Dumbledore now and request he put you in that House." The boy spit out the words so venomously that Eva almost flinched. Most people would have backed down from his hostility, but not Eva.

"I'm sorry," Eva began politely. "Do I know you?"

"You would if you spent more time at your own House table and not trotting around with those Gryffindor gits."

Eva remained calm. "I'm going to ask you again: do I know you?"

"No," the boy spat.

"Well, let me introduce myself," Eva said. "My name is Eva Sinclair – perhaps you've heard of my family?" The boy blanched. "Yeah, I thought so. Now listen to me you slimy git, if you _ever_ insult any of my friends again, I will personally see to it that your parents get sacked from their jobs and every subsequent job thereafter. You got it?"

The boy looked as though he were about to say something, but then thought better of it and turned away from Eva.

By the time the lesson started, both girls were too furious to focus on anything Professor Salvias was teaching and resigned themselves to doodling on spare bits of parchment.

The remainder of the day passed by easily, apparently word had gotten around that the two friends were willing to fight anyone who threatened the other. By supper time, the Great Hall was abuzz with gossip about the two friends from rival Houses.

"You're not here for two days, and already you're both causing a stir."

The two looked up from their seats at the Gryffindor table to see Charlie Weasley standing there. Despite the accusatory tone of his voice, he had a smile on his face.

"What can we say? We're professionals," Iris joked.

"Yep," Eva added. "Hogwarts doesn't know what hit 'em."

Charlie chuckled. "No I don't think they do. You two are becoming quick rivals for my brothers' attention seeking ways. Seeing as you're not particularly doing anything bad, and I'm hoping it will stay that way, there is no need for the Head Boy to get involved. I'm glad you two are willing to stand up for your friendship. That's a very commendable thing to do." Charlie smiled at them once more and took his leave.

"So, I hear a couple of first years are causing quite a fuss," came the smooth voice of Fred Weasley. Both girls grinned at him as he and George took the seats across from them.

"I told you, we'd like them Fred. Such ferocity from such innocent looking girls," laughed George.

"Hey, if everyone would just back down and leave us be then we wouldn't have to be mean," said Iris.

"Yeah, well I'd still be mean, anyway. Runs in the blood after all, but, you know, to a less drastic degree," Eva said laughing. Iris giggled and both girls high fived each other. Both boys grinned as they served the food on their plate.

**Alright, now it's your turn. Drop a review, and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so here we have another chapter. And, boy, are we about to get into a bit of drama. So, without any further ado, here we have chapter four!**

A month had come and gone before the girls knew it. They had steadily formed a strong bond and had become good friends with the Weasley boys. Eva now had a couple of friends in Slytherin House, and Iris had friends in Gryffindor. Both girls were still attached at the hip but could now easily say they had adapted into their said Houses. Excitement was growing however, as the Quidditch matches were fast upon them. Fred and George had joined the team as Beaters, which Eva found suited them best. Charlie was the Seeker and Captain.

"You know, I've never been to an actual Quidditch game before," admitted Iris early one morning. "I mean, I know what it is, but my family isn't big on sports."

"Again, I grew up with the male of the species. I know all about Quidditch. I might even try out next year. I'd love to be keeper," Eva said.

"Hello girls," greeted Charlie as he sat next to the girls. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Hello Charlie" both girls said in unison. They were getting so close that it wasn't rare they answered together or finished each other's sentences.

"Good luck today, Captain," said Eva "Even if it is against Slytherin. I'll admit I'm very competitive when it comes to Quidditch."

"I'll bet you are, Evie" Fred said joining in the conversation. He had recently acquired the new nickname for Eva that only he and George used - Fred more so than George. "Hopefully we get to compete against you next year."

"Wouldn't that be brilliant?" said George. "What about you, Iris? Don't you like Quidditch?"

"I do, George," answered Iris "But I'm no good on a broom; we've proven that haven't we, Eva?"

Eva laughed at the memory of Iris falling off her broom during their first flying lesson. Iris punched her shoulder for laughing at it still. "Forgive me, Iris, but it was quite funny. Besides who knows, you might just surprise everyone and prove to be a great Quidditch player!"

"She's right. You never know," agreed George. Iris smiled at him and the boys quieted as they began to eat their breakfast. Iris now had a growing admiration for George. He was quite charming really and a bit less wild then his twin, whom Eva secretly harbored a crush for now. She wouldn't admit it but Iris knew about it. She saw the stolen looks Eva and Fred both shared.

"Alright, boys, I'll see you at the pitch in ten," said Charlie as he stood up from the table and headed out the doors. The boys finished up their breakfast quickly and said their goodbyes to the girls before they left.

"Who are you gonna root for?" Iris asked Eva after the boys had gone.

Eva grinned the grin that reminded Iris the brunette really was a Slytherin. "Why, Slytherin of course, my dear Iris. The people in my House are the ones I don't particularly care for, but I am a Slytherin and I will cheer for my team."

"Ugh! I can't believe you, Eva! How could you cheer for that slimy team?" Iris snapped. "Bunch of ugly gits."

After a few moments of stunned silence, Iris looked wide-eyed at Eva. "Oh, my goodness. I am _so_ sorry! I don't know where that came from. Really, that wasn't me. I don't know why I said that."

"Uh… It's okay," Eva said, still confused and a little hurt. She was just trying to begin a playful competition with her friend. Why had Iris suddenly snapped at her?

"You know what? Let's get down to the Quidditch pitch," Iris said. "I think I'm still a little tired. Maybe the air will clear my head."

"Okay, sounds good," Eva said as they rose from the table and made their way to the Quidditch pitch.

Mentally, Iris kicked herself for being so harsh to her best friend. As the days drew closer to the full moon, her temper got more and more out of control. She'd been trying to hide it for the past few days, but with the full moon tomorrow night, she wasn't sure how much longer she could contain herself. She hoped the Quidditch match would take her mind off of things.

The two were greeted by a brisk October breeze as they found seats in the bleachers. Looking out over the crowd they could see splashes of red and gold intermixed with blotches of green and silver. This was the first match of the season, and the entire school was buzzing with excitement.

"It seems the odds are evenly matched," Percy said taking a seat beside Iris.

"Oh, hey, Percy!" Iris smiled, blushing. Eva nudged her friend, and Iris pushed her hand away.

Over the last month Iris and Percy had grown closer. He helped her with homework, he showed her all around the castle, and he consoled her when she was feeling homesick after the first two weeks of school. They were just friends, but somehow Iris hoped they could be more.

"It seems like a stupid question," Eva said, "but I have to ask anyway. Who are you for?"

"Gryffindor all the way," Percy said. "Look, here they come!"

They looked down to see that both teams had emerged onto the pitch to begin the game. The two captains walked reverently to the center and shook hands. Both teams were still, waiting for the whistle to blow and the game to begin – everyone except Fred and George that is. The twins were busy waving and bowing and blowing kisses to the crowd as if they thought themselves royalty. If Eva and Iris weren't mistaken, it would seem that the two waved more so to them than to anyone else in the crowd. They giggled and continued to observe excitedly.

In a matter of moments the whistle was blown and all fourteen players shot into the air. The game was intense. Iris hadn't realized how much teamwork had to go into a single game. The chasers worked together to dodge and weave around the opposing team while the beaters did their best to keep the bludgers away from their teammates (and in Fred and George's case, send them sailing directly for the other team). The keeper had to guard all three rings at once while keeping an eye on just who might try to throw the quaffle through the hoops. And while all this insanity was going on, the seeker had to keep focus and find and capture the snitch. It was all so much for Iris to handle, and she was thankful Lee Jordan was commentating.

"Gryffindor in possession of the quaffle, passes to Johnson, passes to Spinnet, takes the shot and… Blocked by Flint of the Slytherin team. COME ON GRYFINNDOR!"

"YES!" Eva shouted from beside Iris, waving her hands wildly in excitement.

"Slytherin in possession of the quaffle, passes to Tucker, passes to Lewis, passes back to Tucker, takes the shot and… Blocked by a flying bludger sent by one of the Weasley brothers!… Who the hell knows which one?"

Iris and Eva glanced at each other. "Fred," they said in unison then turned back to the game.

Iris smiled. She was beginning to like this game. Maybe she would try out for the team next year.

"Gryffindor in possession, passes to Spinnet, passes to Johnson, takes the shot… GRYFFINDOR SCORES! Ten – zero to Gryffindor! Take that, Slytherin!"

"Yes!" Percy and Iris shouted. Eva ignored them.

The game continued on like that for an hour and a half. The scores always remained within a few points of each other. By the time the snitch had been spotted, the score was 120 to 160 in favor of Gryffindor. And the snitch had been spotted by Charlie Weasley.

"And it appears as if the snitch has been spotted!" Lee shouted over the loudspeaker. "And by Charlie Weasley no less. Slytherin might as well just throw in the towel now. There is no hope for them!"

And right he was. In a matter of seconds, Charlie had zeroed in on the golden ball and snatched it from the air in one quick motion.

The crowd erupted into deafening cheers. All throughout the bleachers, shouts of joy could be heard. Even Percy was hooting loudly. "We did it!" he screamed, grabbing Iris's hand in excitement.

Iris blushed, but didn't pull away. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck in a joyous hug. The two embraced for a moment, then pulled away awkwardly.

At first, Eva was disappointed that her team had lost, but then decided that a victory for Fred, George and Charlie was also a kind of victory for her. So, despite the glares of surrounding Slytherins, she clapped.

All three of them laughed as Fred and George milked their win for all that it was worth by taking several victory laps around the pitch. What hams.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

After the game, Eva started off to her own dormitories. She was stopped by her favorite red-head, Fred Weasley, who was suspiciously without his twin.

"Fred!" Eva yelled after he had jumped in front of her in a dark, empty corridor. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, Evie didn't mean to." Fred grinned sheepishly. "We're having a party and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"

"Fred, as much as I would love to, I can't." Eva said sadly. "I know we've pushed the limit this past month, but I'm a Slytherin and you're a Gryffindor. I can't attend a Gryffindor party, I'm not welcome. The last thing I want to do is cause you trouble."

Fred smiled sadly and understood that she was right. No matter how much he wanted her to come, she was right.

"You're right, Evie." He said "I just forget sometimes, truth is I wouldn't like you if you were anything but a Slytherin. It's who you are, so don't ever feel bad about it. Not all Slytherins are evil. The majority is, but there are some good ones, like you."

Eva nodded and grinned at him. "So if I was a Gryffindor, you wouldn't like me?" she asked.

"What? No of course not! I'd like you all the same.," Fred answered nervously. Eva laughed at his discomfort - it's the Slytherin in her - and she smiled and did what she had been avoiding for months. She hugged Fred with all her might even if he was a good foot taller than her. Stupid boys and their height! Fred hugged her back just as tight.

"I've really grown fond of you, Fred Weasley," Eva admitted as she let go. Fred smiled and kissed her cheek.

"And I the same for you, Miss Sinclair." He turned around with a smile and disappeared into the end of the hallway leaving Eva dumbfounded with her hand on her cheek. She was far too young to take all this.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Iris was having the time of her life in the crowded, loud common room. Charlie was going around trying to confiscate the firewiskey a sixth year had snuck in. George was celebrating with the team in the corner. While Fred was nowhere to be seen, she wondered if Eva knew where he was. She had tried to convince her friend to come, but the stubborn Slytherin had refused. She supposed she was right. Iris would not have felt comfortable at a Slytherin party either. For the most part the girls had learned to co-exist despite their differences.

"Hello Iris. Why are you here on your own?" asked George. Iris looked up and blushed.

"I was just taking a break, I'm quite exhausted." Iris said. "I was going to head up soon."

He frowned slight but it quickly turned into a smile. "I got a better idea! Dance with me?" he asked, his hand extended. Iris's eyes widened but after a minute of hesitation she decided that no harm could be done and accepted.

George was surprisingly light on his feet. They danced for about two songs, neither noticing the looks Percy was giving them. Charlie then announced that one in the morning was quite late enough; they had classes tomorrow after all. Iris and George separated; he kissed her hand much like Fred had done for Eva and bade her goodnight. Iris climbed dreamily up the stairs and lay down on her bed. Oh sweet Merlin! How could she get herself in such a predicament! Just then Fester flew onto her bed, breaking her out of her thoughts.

_Iris,_

_ I would like to inform you that people have been opening our notes and reading them. I was suspicious a while ago and have now tested it and found it to be true. A simple thumbprint revealing spell, of course. So we either use another owl or come up with codenames for ourselves and our friends. I would also like to inform you of my encounter with Fred Weasley, I don't care who finds out about that. It wasn't anything extremely out of the ordinary, after all. (It so was!) I will inform you with full detail, tomorrow morning. Send me back a note tonight though; I will be awake until at least 3. Transfiguration is cancelled tomorrow; I was just informed McGonagall is ill. I will be waiting for your owl._

_ -Eva_

The note should have come as exciting news to Iris. After all, the boy she had been pining over for a month had slipped away from the Gryffindor party just to be with her. She should have been thrilled for her friend. She wasn't. Instead, she was furious that Eva could be so self-centered to only think of herself when Iris had just had a rather romantic moment with George. Bloody hell, could she be less careless?

Fuming, Iris picked up a piece of parchment and quill and simply wrote:

_You can be so self-centered sometimes. It wouldn't kill you to think of your friends once in awhile. The world doesn't revolve around you, Eva!_

She quickly handed the note off to Fester who took it and soared out the window.

Iris sat there, chest heaving in fury. It suddenly became too much and she stood and pounded her fist against the stone wall. Maybe it was the pain that brought her around and maybe it wasn't, but either way, with her fist throbbing in pain she began to realize just how much of a git she had just been to Eva. She felt so horrible for thinking and saying those mean things to her best friend. She quickly ran to the window, stuck her wand out and said, _Accio note!"_ But it didn't come back to her. "_Accio note. Accio note. Accio note!" _Nothing.

Defeated, Iris dropped her wand onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow. Her emotions were getting out of control. Damn this full moon. Damn this curse! Why was she forced to push her friends away with her attitude? That wasn't her. She didn't want to be that. Why did she have to be a werewolf? Why?

Iris cried for the rest of the night.

**Uh-oh! Seems as if Iris's emotions are taking control of her, and we haven't even reached the full moon yet. Wonder what will happen between the best friends in the next chapter. Stay tuned to find out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, another chapter up! This one gets a little juicy. Enjoy!**

The next morning, Iris walked into the Great Hall with her head down. She didn't want to face Eva. She didn't think she could bear to see her friend so hurt.

When Eva came bouncing over to the Gryffindor table, giddy with excitement, Iris was confused.

"What happened to you last night?" Eva said, taking a seat beside Iris. "You fall asleep from all the partying or something? You never sent a reply to my note."

"Oh, um…" Quickly, Iris thought that her summoning charm must've worked, but only enough to remove the note from Fester's grasp and not enough to carry it back to her window. But she didn't want to tell Eva that she'd summoned it back because that would've meant admitting that she'd been a complete git the night before, so she lied, "Yeah, long night."

Neither of the girls saw the looks that Fred and George exchanged from across the table. It clearly said _Mission accomplished._

"Eh, doesn't matter anyway," Eva said. "I've still got to tell you what happened!"

Fred's ears perked up, excited to hear what Eva had to say about him, but Eva turned to him and said playfully, "Do you mind? We girls need to gossip."

"Oooh, touchy," George said.

"I think they want to talk about us, George," Fred smiled.

"You wish," Eva teased. "You could only be so lucky."

"Yeah, well I've been known to come across a few one-eyed gnomes in my time," Fred said, "so I would consider myself very lucky."

"Ugh, Fred, can't you see we don't want the two of you around?" Iris practically shouted. "Just leave already so we can talk, will you?"

Iris knew she should've covered her mouth in shock, but she didn't care anymore. Her transformation was tonight, and her emotions were on the warpath.

Everyone stared in shock at the blonde girl. Never before had she been snippy with anyone, let alone flat-out rude. What had gotten into her?

"Iris, what's going on with you?" George asked. "I've never seen you like this before."

Iris was about to answer with a sarcastic remark when a loud screech signified the mail coming in. All over the Great Hall owls swooped down dropping off letters and packages to various students. Unexpectedly, Fester flew in a dropped a letter directly in front of Iris.

Too enraged to continue her argument with the twins, Iris ripped open the letter and read:

_Iris,_

_As I am no doubt you are aware, the full moon is tonight. You will need to find an excuse to slip away from your fellow classmates in order to find safe refuge in the Shrieking Shack without them wondering of your whereabouts. I've provided you with the show of this letter as an excuse. You are to tell your friends that your mother is deathly ill and that you must immediately rush home to see her. Your transportation will pick you up at the end of your classes today and you will be home in time for supper tomorrow evening (or so you shall tell them). In reality, I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't mind Madame Pomfrey keeping you under her surveillance until then. You are young and I know these are trying times for you._

_Warmest Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Iris folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope in which it was sent so that none of her friends could see what it actually said.

"Um…" Iris began, trying to appear somber. "My mum's ill. Bad. I've got to go home to see her."

"What?" Eva said, concerned. All thoughts of the previous argument were long forgotten by everyone.

"Is she okay?" Fred asked.

"I don't know. Dumbledore's arranged for me to leave today after classes are done. I'll be back tomorrow night."

"Iris, I'm so sorry," Eva said, hugging her friend tightly.

"Thanks," Iris mumbled. She calmly pushed Eva away. "I best get going." She walked away as if in a daze with a million and one thoughts racing through her head.

"Oi, I've never seen her so out of it," George said in an obvious state of worry. Eva and Fred both nodded.

"She was probably testy because of her mum," said Fred. Eva couldn't help but wonder if it was true. It seemed to her that Iris was hiding something. Something that was particularly embarrassing, something she didn't want anyone to know at any cost. Eva had suspected it for a while now but she figured Iris would tell her. She couldn't argue and say she had told Iris everything because she hadn't; Iris was entitled to her secrets just as much as anybody was.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, Fred" Eva said at last. She looked up from her meal to find George still staring at the exit of the Great Hall. Eva had also wondered about their relationship too. George and Iris seemed to be closer which is why Eva had been so surprised she had yelled let alone at the twins. Eva sighed. How it could possibly become so complicated?

"What's the matter, sunshine?" Fred asked smiling. "I'm sure everything will turn out alright, you'll see. It's really hard to die nowadays, isn't it? With all the new potions and stuff."

"You're right, Fred. I can't help but worry either," Eva said. She just couldn't understand why Iris was so testy and why she had treated her friends so harshly. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes and turned her head to try to conceal them. Good thing her hair was loose today, so it fell around her face. Fred wasn't fooled. He looked over to George who nodded and got up. Fred lifted Eva's head up by her chin and smiled. The tears were now streaming down her face. Fred gave her a sad smile.

"Okay, Evie, come on. We'll go talk somewhere else." Fred gently took her hand and walked out of the Great Hall with George following behind. They didn't notice the look Charlie and Percy shared. Both brothers' suspected something was up but decided not to intervene unless things got too problematic.

The boys took Eva up to the Astronomy Tower where no one would bother them. Fred was filled with worry over Eva who hadn't stopped crying, if anything it had gotten worse; she was quietly sobbing now.

"I…love…you…guys!" she exclaimed in between sobs. "But…Iris…hates…me! I…don't…know…what…I…did!" She continued to sob while Fred and George did all they could to comfort her.

"She doesn't hate you," said Fred hugging her from the right side.

"Yeah, she's just having a tough time." said George hugging her from the other. Their words fell on deaf ears as Eva was convinced Iris was angry at her and that it was all her fault. They stayed like that for five minutes until her sobs quieted and reason could be heard once again.

"It's just I've never had any real friends!" exclaimed Eva once more. "People only like me because of my family and what they can do for their parents."

"Evie, we're your friends too," said Fred "Anyway, Iris loves you very much. I mean look at how she defends your friendship to others. You don't have to be so paranoid, Evie, we're here and we love you for who you are."

Eva was stunned by his words and didn't know what to do. So she smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thanks Fred! You're really the best friend a girl can have." She turned around and hugged George as well. "You too, George. Thanks for being there for me during my emotional breakdown." Eva suddenly stood up and pumped a fist in the air. "Alright from now on, I won't cry anymore! I know who my real friends are" she exclaimed loudly.

"Bounces right back up, eh George" said Fred laughing at her antics.

"Yeah she does, you sure she's okay though?" asked George. "Maybe somebody slipped her something, I mean, she went from completely depressed to utterly happy!"

"Eh, who can understand girls?" shrugged Fred. "At least she's happy now."

OoOoOoOoO

Iris was having a miserable time. Eva had skipped class today and Binns hadn't even noticed. She was afraid she had been too harsh on her friends. Curse her monthly cycles! She didn't pay attention to the normally boring professor, however, as time crawled by.

After her classes were done, she thought about going down to the Great Hall to grab a bite to eat before meeting Professor Snape in his office. She quickly decided against it. The closer it grew to night, the more restless she became. She didn't want to risk another feud between her and her friends. So with a sigh, she headed for the dungeons.

When she reached Snape's office, she found him arranging various potion ingredients on the shelves. He didn't even turn around to greet her. That sort of pissed her off. Ever hear of common courtesy?

"Drink that potion," he ordered, his back still to her.

Iris looked and saw a goblet of what appeared to be foggy, yellow water sitting on his desk. She took the cup in her hand but hesitated in bringing it to her lips.

"Drink," he said again after a few moments.

"What does it do?" she questioned somewhat rudely.

The Potions Master turned around to face her. "It allows you to maintain complete awareness during your transformation. You will no longer be subjected to the madness brought about by lycanthropy."

Iris smelled the mud-yellow liquid and quickly pulled it away from her nose.

"Drink," Snape ordered for a third time.

"Would you give me a moment?" Iris spat. "I've never done this before. And this bloody potion smells as if it's been rotting for three months."

Snape seethed but didn't speak again. He watched as Iris slowly brought the goblet to her lips and choked back the substance. After sticking her tongue out in revulsion at the vile taste, she asked bitterly, "Okay, now what?"

"Follow me," he said as he pushed past her out of his office and through the corridors.

Iris followed Snape for several minutes until they arrived outside at the base of the Whomping Willow. Despite being several feet out of the tree's reach, Iris flinched every time one of its branches whipped violently in her direction. Snape smirked at her cowardice.

"What now?" Iris asked. The sun was beginning to set, and she could feel her insides churning in protest. His only reply was to flick his wand toward a nearby stone and send it sailing straight for a knot at the base of the tree. Suddenly, all movement stopped, and the Whomping Willow froze in place.

Iris stared in awe for a few moments before Snape ushered her toward a small gap between the earth and the trunk. "This is where you go. Follow the tunnel and you'll come to a shack. The Shrieking Shack."

"Isn't that supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain?" Iris interrupted him, her voice quivering.

Snape seethed again at her naivety. "As I said, you shall arrive at the Shrieking Shack. You are to remain there until someone comes to collect you in the morning. Good night." With that, Snape turned on his heel and began to walk away.

Iris wanted to scream out to him to wait, that she didn't want to go alone and wanted company, but her bitter temper prevented her from doing so. She didn't need him, she didn't need anybody. She could handle herself. Right?

Before she could let herself think twice about it, she quickly slipped through the gap in the earth and ran along the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. She had to hurry. The moon would be full in a few minutes, and she didn't want to be trapped down here in her animal form.

Within five minutes, Iris had made it into the Shack with a few seconds to spare. She had just enough time to make it into an upstairs bedroom before falling to the ground in agony. She screamed and writhed on the ground, praying for the pain to stop. She could feel her skin stretching, her bones hunching over, and the searing pain of claws breaking through her human fingernails. It was over within a few seconds, but the tingle of pain lingered for over an hour. If she could cry, she would've, but her new form made it impossible.

In her rage, Iris clawed at the walls and tore at the bed sheets howling in anger. By the time she had worked herself into exhaustion a few hours later, the entire room was unrecognizable. Eventually she fell asleep, praying this would all just end.

OoOoOoOoO

The next morning Eva woke late and bloody hell did it feel good to sleep in. Saturdays were the best in Eva's opinion. She got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast, only to be greeted by the beaming faces of Fred and George Weasley.

"Good Morning, Boys," Eva greeted as she sat down next to Fred. "What are you up to?"

"Who says we're up to anything?" said Fred as he tucked into his breakfast.

"Yeah, why do we always have to be up to something?" added George.

"Right, so who are you gonna prank now?" asked Eva knowing full well that the twins were up to something and that it most likely was going to include her. Fred grinned at her and handed her a piece of blank parchment.

"What's this?" Eva asked confused. "Are you going to write an angry note to someone? Dear Snape, You're a git. That is all. Warmest Regards, Fred and George."

"P.S. this was Eva's idea." added Fred laughing. "No my dear Evie, even if that does sound brilliant. This particular piece of parchment is a little more useful another way. Eat some breakfast and we'll show you what it's for. We have a prank in mind and you're going to help us."

After Breakfast, Eva was dragged by the troublemaking twins to the Astronomy Tower to plot out the day. She was beginning to wonder if the Astronomy Tower was actually used to learn.

"Alright, we're going to show you our most prized possession," said Fred.

"You've got to swear you won't tell anyone," added George, smiling. "Not that we have anything to worry about. We trust you 110%"

"Thanks guys," Eva said "Are we gonna show this to Iris too?"

"Of course!" answered George "She's unavailable, and we really wanted to show you both at the same time. But today is too good of a chance to pass up."

"Okay then. Show me the greatness of this parchment," said Eva.

The twins took out the parchment and their wands and tapped the paper saying, 'We solemnly swear that we are up to no good.' The paper was immediately filled with writing. '_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders' Map._' Eva was so amazed she was at a loss for words. The twins then opened that map and showed her that the castle was drawn all over the parchment and bloody hell was it huge! It showed tiny footsteps of everyone in the castle. Professor Dumbledore was pacing in his office, Filch was on the second floor, Iris was in the Infirmary.

"Iris is the Infirmary!" exclaimed Eva.

"What?" said both twins scrambling to take a look at the Map.

"Maybe it's wrong, I mean she's supposed to be with her ill mother," Eva said.

"This map is never wrong, Evie," said Fred looking up at her.

"If it says Iris is there, then she's there." George added.

Eva didn't know what to say. Iris had lied to them or at least that's what it looked like. If her mother was really ill then she wouldn't be at the Infirmary, now would she? She looked up at the twins who were deep in thought; she could tell they were thinking the same thing. Eva was sure Iris wouldn't lie if she didn't have a good reason too.

"Let's go check it out." Eva said breaking the silence. It seemed like the most logical thing to do. Prank forgotten, the boys nodded and lead the way.

When they were outside the Infirmary, there was air of hesitation between them. What if Iris didn't want to be found? Would she never speak to them again? Eva decided it was a risk she had to take. If her best friend was sick then she wanted to know, so that she could help her. Iris was very important to Eva and she wanted to know if she was okay. With the bravery of a Gryffindor, Eva pushed the door open and peaked in. What she saw surprised her so much that she pushed the door the rest of the way allowing the twins to get a glimpse as well.

"Iris!" exclaimed Eva.

Iris's head whipped up from where she was lying in one of the hospital beds. Her face blanched when she saw Eva, Fred and George starring at her, horrified. Her arms and legs were covered in long, deep scratches – there were even some cuts on her face. Some appeared to still be fresh. Eva shuddered as she gazed at Iris. She looked so weak and fragile, her eyes sunken and red as if she'd been crying.

The trio was by the blonde's side in an instant.

"Iris, what happened to you?" Eva questioned. "How did you get like this? Why aren't you with your mum?"

"Let the girl breathe, Eva," Fred said calmly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Take your time, Iris," George said, soothingly. "What happened?"

Iris was so overwhelmed by their sudden appearance. What the bloody hell was she supposed to tell them? Surely not the truth. She must look a horrid sight to them.

The blonde was about to open her mouth to spin some fictional tale for her friends, when a fourth person came striding into the room.

"Ah, Miss Felix, you're awake."

Everyone turned to see Professor Albus Dumbledore beaming at them.

"And look," he continued. "You've visitors. Now, how did they know you were here, I wonder."

Dumbledore gazed down at Eva and the twins, and they shifted uncomfortably. Thank Merlin Fred had stashed the Marauders' Map into the pocket of his robes before they entered the Infirmary.

"Ah, no matter," Dumbledore dismissed with a knowing glint in his eye. "You appear to be doing well, Miss Felix. Madame Pomfrey is a very gifted healer. You are in good hands." He smiled at Iris, giving her a wink which the others hadn't seen. He then turned his attention to Eva and the twins. "As wonderful as it is that you are here for your friend, I think it would be wise if we gave her some space to rest and recover. I'm sure you are confused as to how Miss Felix finds herself in this state, and if you will accompany me to the other side of the room, I will explain everything to you." As the trio headed across the Infirmary to a secluded area, Dumbledore turned to Iris and said, "Just rest now. Madame Pomfrey will have you fully recovered and out of the Infirmary by supper time." He winked again then went to join the three waiting friends.

Eva, Fred and George waited with bated breath for the Headmaster to explain how Iris had acquired so many wounds in so short a time. They had seen her not twenty-four hours before, perfectly healthy, albeit a little cranky. Okay, _loads_ cranky.

"This is to stay between the four of us," Dumbledore began, addressing the group. "If Miss Felix wants this information to reach the rest of the school, that is her decision to make." He waited as each of them nodded their head to the affirmative before continuing. "Very well. As I'm sure you're all aware, Miss Felix's mother fell ill a few nights ago. Last night, Iris was taken to visit her mother in case the Healers at St. Mungo's were unable to cure her. What you are not aware of, however, is that Miss Felix does not get on with certain members of her family – in this case, her cousin." He paused in his tale, watching as the three listened with rapt attention. "The two got to arguing, and before anyone was able to stop them, spells and hexes were flying across the room. Now, I do not know the full details of their argument, but I am aware of the ultimate outcome." He gestured to Iris's unsightly form across the room. "Her cousin is much older and is rather gifted in the Dark Arts, and therefore has knowledge of spells you three could scarcely dream of. One of these spells is _Sectumsempra_. Have you heard of it?" They all shook their heads. "It is a vile spell, one only used in the most dire of circumstances. And, well, you can see its effects." They all gazed again at Iris's form, a sadness growing inside of them. "I trust that none of you will ever attempt to use this curse on anyone. I also trust that you will not push this subject with your friend. Give her space and time." They all nodded. "Very well. Off with you now. I'm sure you've _mischief_ to get up to, haven't you?" Dumbledore smiled at the group before ushering them out of the Infirmary.

With no one left in the room besides Iris and Dumbledore, the two were able to talk freely.

"What did you tell them?" Iris questioned. "Did you tell them I'm a werewolf?"

"No," Dumbledore replied honestly.

After a moment of staring at the Headmaster, she said, "You told them about David, didn't you?"

"Would you rather I told them where you really were last night?" Dumbledore asked with a childlike twinkle in his eye.

"No," Iris confirmed. "Thank you."

The Headmaster could see that something was still troubling the first year.

"Do you wish I hadn't told them about your cousin?"

"No," Iris explained. "I just wish what you said about him wasn't true. I just wish… I just wish he wasn't my family."

"Iris, there is no shame in wanting a family that is caring and supporting and loving. And for the most part, you do indeed have just that," the Headmaster said. "However, there are those few who fall by the wayside. It is tragic but no reflection of yourself whatsoever. Be proud of you who are."

Iris had to hold back a snort of contempt. She hated who she was. She looked down at all the wounds on her arms and legs and had to bite back tears. Curse the werewolf who bit her! Curse the man who made her an animal!

"How can I be proud of who I am?" Iris almost shouted. "Look at me! I'm lying to my friends, I'm a danger to myself and everyone around me, and I have no one to turn to for help. I can't do this."

Dumbledore looked at her knowingly. "You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. There was once a student at this school who felt just the same as you do now. He lied to his friends about his condition, he hid the truth, and it just ate him inside."

"What did he do?" Iris asked.

"Nothing. His friends eventually figured it out, though," he said. "And you know what? They became closer friends because of it. You'd be surprised how strong the bonds of friendship actually are."

Iris was speechless.

"Rest now," Dumbledore ordered when she didn't speak. "The Halloween Feast is tonight. You'll no doubt want be there."

And with that, Dumbledore left the Infirmary.

Iris settled back into her bed. _No,_ she thought. _I can't tell them. They wouldn't understand. I don't want to lose them._

OoOoOoOoO

"That man knows everything, doesn't he?" asked Eva as she and the twins walked towards the feast. They had walked around the castle talking about how horrible Iris' family was and George kept threatening the cousin who had dared hurt Iris. Eva couldn't help but feel it wasn't a complete truth. Having been lied to all her life left her with a sixth sense of sorts; she could tell when she was being lied to.

"Yeah, I strongly believe that too." Fred said hanging on George, his way of comforting his brother. It looked like he was trying to get George to give him a piggyback ride but everyone in the castle was used to their weirdness.

"Iris will be at the feast. We have to be on our best behavior, I'm talking to you Fred Weasley." Eva said seriously, pointing at Fred who simply stuck his tongue out at her.

"Don't worry; I won't say a word that could possibly offend our dear friend," Fred promised, finally getting off of George who seemed a little too depressed to be considered a Weasley. Fred hooked his arms around both George and Eva. "We'll be supportive and kind. She'll remember why she loves us so much, even if you are a Slytherin" Eva punched Fred in his side causing him to let her go and feign injury. "Kiss it better!" he exclaimed.

"In your wild, diluted dreams, Weasley!" Eva answered as she ran ahead to the Great Hall. She quickly spotted Iris' blonde head and ran towards her before Fred could catch her.

"Iris!" she exclaimed. "How are you? Are you feeling better?" Iris looked up at her and smiled genuinely happy to see her friend. The twins were quick behind; Fred sat in front and George took Iris' other side.

"We were worried about you." George said his first words since they had seen her in the infirmary.

"I'm fine guys, really," Iris said smiling. "I'm happy to see you all; I've missed you all very much. What have you been up to?"

The four friends launched into a conversation about their activities since her leave yesterday, nothing was mentioned about Iris' injuries or her earlier spat with the twins. It was like it had always been since they met and Iris was completely content with that. It made her even more against telling her friends the truth. How could she possibly ruin such a wonderful friendship?

**So there you have it. Now it's your turn guys! Drop a review please! Eva and I get a huge kick out of reading what you guys think. Come on, it's all in good fun.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, so we're back with another chapter. This one is more light-hearted than the last. No drama, just pure fun. Enjoy!**

Two weeks had passed since the incident, and the friends were as close as ever. The two girls were in the Library studying for History of Magic, which Iris was not very fond of. The teacher was boring and History was not Iris's strong point. Eva, however, enjoyed History with a passion. To her, History was important in every aspect of life.

"How can you possibly remember all of this?" Iris questioned. "I can't do it no matter how hard I try."

"It's easy. Just think of something funny that happened with the dates you're trying to remember, and it makes it easier," Eva said trying to console her friend who was near tears. "For instance, the only way the troll invasion was stopped was because the head troll tripped and decapitated himself on the axe of one of his soldiers. That happened 300 years ago from my birthday."

"When is your birthday?" asked Iris a bit disturbed that she hadn't asked.

"April 21st" answered Eva. "Yours is June 2nd, right?"

"Righto," Iris confirmed. "But it's not just the dates I have trouble with. It's remembering all this other boring rubbish that happened. For example, when am I ever going to need to know that Humphrey Huxley was the first to develop the "swish-and-flick" method in 1217 only to have his memory erased and his idea stolen by his elder brother Henry Huxley? Seriously, who needs this?"

"Actually it was Henry Huxley who developed the method. Humphrey Huxley was the brother who stole it."

"Ugh!" Iris groaned, receiving glares from surrounding students. "You see what I mean? I can't even get one fact right, let alone memorize enough of this for a test."

"But don't you find this all _fascinating?_" Eva asked eagerly.

"Bloody hell no. The only thing Binns's class is good for is sleeping or catching up on other assignments. That's it."

"But you're going to need History of Magic for almost any job you want to go into," Eva reminded Iris. "What do you want to be when you get older?"

"Um, I'm eleven," Iris stated matter-of-factly. "I barely know what I want for lunch. Oooh, lunch! I'm hungry!"

"Can't you stop thinking about food for two seconds?" Eva complained. "Seriously, if you could be anything, what would it be?"

"Well…" Iris thought. "Something to do with Potions. Maybe I could even come back here and teach it when I'm older. Or maybe I could be some type of Healer."

"Well, see there you go," Eva said, turning back to her book to flick through some of the pages absentmindedly. "You'll need a history of Potions in order to know which ingredients to use and stuff like that."

"Yeah, but that's different," Iris rebuked. "Potions is so interesting. I would have no problem passing a Potions History class… if such a thing actually existed. It's this rubbish I can't get my head around."

"Why don't we agree to disagree?" Eva offered.

"Yes ma'am!"

The two went back to studying for another half hour before Iris closed her book and said, "Well, that was useful. In the entire time we were studying, the only thing I learned was that Dumbledore's full name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. How sad is that? Yeah, I'm _totally_ going to pass this test."

Eva just laughed at her without offering any condolence.

"I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow," Iris said.

"Yeah, I'm going to hit the hay as well."

They collected their books, exited the library and parted ways in the corridor. Iris headed upstairs, while Eva headed down.

As Eva made her way down one of the dark corridors, she began to struggle with her book load. Eventually, two books slipped from her grasp and she had to double back to retrieve them. Upon gathering her dropped belongings and continuing down the corridor, she noticed a door on the wall next to her that hadn't been there before.

"Huh?" she said to herself.

Curiously, she wondered if she ought to open it. What could be inside? Where had the door even come from?

She paused with her hands mere inches above the doorknob. Did she dare?

"Is that the Room of Requirement?" came a familiar voice from behind her. Eva turned to see the face of Charlie Weasley staring at the door in wonder.

"The _what?" _Eva asked.

"The Room of Requirement," he repeated. "I've heard rumors about this place, but I've never actually seen it for myself. I've always wondered where it was in Hogwarts. Wow." Suddenly, Charlie looked down as though he'd just realized Eva was there. "It's getting late. You should get off to bed."

"But what about –," Eva began, but Charlie cut her off.

"It'll be there in the morning. Don't worry."

"But it wasn't there two seconds ago, so how do you know it'll even be there tomorrow?"

"Because it's always there when you're in need of it," Charlie said as if quoting a book he'd read. "Now off to bed with you."

Eva wanted to stay – she wanted to open that door. But rules were rules, and Charlie liked to adhere to them. So, without another word, she went back to her dormitory.

OoOoOoOoO

_Iris,_

_ Guess what I found on the way back to my dorm? The Room of Requirement! Isn't that awesome? But I don't bloody know what it is! Charlie wouldn't tell me all he did was go mysterious on me and said that it will always be there in my time of need. What kind of rubbish is that? Well, owl me back if you know what it is, oh smart one. _

_-Eva_

_P.S. Someone is reading these notes! I can feel it in my gut. _

"How can she bloody know?" exclaimed Fred after reading the note.

"I have no idea but maybe paranoid is part of the Slytherin requirement. Then again, that girl seems to have some extra senses on her," George answered him while eating some chocolate.

"You're right about the last part," Fred said handing the note back to Fester who had now become used to his stops with the boys. "Off to Iris you go. Remember, this is our little secret."

"What do you hope to find by reading the notes of first year girls?" asked Lee who had found out what the twins were doing two weeks ago.

"We're not looking for anything in particular, just trying to keep them out of trouble," answered George nonchalantly in hopes to divert Lee from questioning any further. The truth was they were doing it because they liked the girls and wanted to protect them from everyone and each other.

"Like you two can keep anyone out of trouble, you can barely keep yourselves from getting detentions on a daily basis," Lee said laughing. He turned back to his book and continued to study.

"Yeah, yeah but that's on purpose," Fred defended. "We wouldn't get caught if we didn't want to." Lee just smiled and ignored them.

"We should probably study for Transfiguration, Fred," George said pulling out his book.

"Why? We're gonna pass that one for sure," Fred said as he climbed into his bed to look at the map.

"She's in her room on her bed just like she is every night, you bloody stalker!" George teased throwing a pillow at his brother.

"Oh, be quiet!" Fred exclaimed throwing the pillow back.

OoOoOoOoO

Iris was calmly studying in her bed for the bloody history of magic exam when Fester showed up. She got up to open the window making sure to not make too much noise so as not to disturb her roommates. After she read the note she wrote her response;

_Eva,_

_ How would I bloody know? You're the one who read _Hogwarts: A History_! I have heard it mentioned but never heard anything concrete. We'll look it up tomorrow after I fail Binns's exam. Sorry I was of no use but my brain is on memorizing the work for tomorrow. We don't all have excellent memories like you._

_ -Iris_

_P.S. What do you want to do about it then?_

Iris sealed up the note and once again gave it to Fester.

"Sorry, love, but I promise I'll give you a snack when you come back." With that Fester was on his not-so-merry way again, and Iris resumed her studying, feeling hopeless and defeated.

OoOoOoOoO

The next morning at breakfast, Iris was doing all she could not to slump over onto the table and fall asleep. She'd barely gotten three hours of sleep the night before for she'd been awake until the wee hours of the morning studying. Eva on the other hand was wide awake and ready to begin the new day. The Slytherin girl hadn't needed to stay up late as almost everything about History of Magic came naturally to her.

"Just kill me now," Iris said. "Please, just do it. I don't care if you go to Azkaban. Your family will bail you out."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Eva said cheerfully. "You'll do fine. You had to have learned _something_ in those hours of studying last night."

Iris looked up at her friend with exhaustion. "You're right. Besides knowing Dumbledore's full name, I now know that the Goblin Rebellion took place in 1066."

"And what else?" Eva prodded, pulling a plate of bacon closer to her.

"That's it," Iris mumbled miserably, pounding her head against the table.

"That's _it_?" Eva exclaimed. "That's all you've retained in the 8 hours you've been studying? How is that even possible?"

"Because I'm not you," Iris said. "I can't remember all this rubbish. I'm going to fail. I'm going to fail, then they're going to kick me out of Hogwarts, and then I'm going to die."

Eva just looked at her friend in pity. "You are so dramatic."

"What's this?" came a voice from behind the two girls. "Someone is more dramatic than us? Is that even possible?"

Fred and George Weasley took seats beside the girls. As George snatched a piece of bacon from Eva's plate, Fred quietly slipped a piece of parchment onto Iris's lap. "Shh," he said at her curious look.

"Iris here is afraid she's going to fail Binns's first exam," Eva said. "No, wait, I take that back. Iris _is_ going to fail Binns's first exam."

"Gee, thanks," Iris mumbled miserably.

"Oh, cheer up, Iris," Fred said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He smiled broadly as though up to something. Iris wanted to question him about the piece of parchment he'd given her, but he spoke before she could get the words out. "I think you'll find you'll do well on his test."

"Nope, she's doomed," Eva said playfully. Iris shoved her friend in the arm.

"Just remember," George said. "You should always have extra _parchment_ with you. You never know when you might need it. It just might come in handy sometime."

Eva stared at the twins suspiciously. "Since when do you give out exam-taking tips? Have you two ever passed an exam?"

Fred mock-gasped and held a hand to his chest in mild shock. "Eva, how could you think of us like that? Just because we goof off doesn't mean we're not intelligent. We know how to take a test or two."

"Without cheating?" Eva prodded.

"That's beside the point," George said.

"Mmhm, that's what I thought," Eva said, smiling at the twins.

Fred looked to George and winked. "Alright, bro. I think it's time we take our leave. See you two later."

"Wait," Iris said, looking confused. "Where are you going? You don't have class this period."

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies," the twins said in unison before running out of the Great Hall.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Eva asked.

"I don't know," replied to her friend. "But I just don't get them sometimes."

OoOoOoOoO

After breakfast, the two made their way to Binns's class. With each step, Iris's stomach churned a little more. This was going to be a nightmare.

When they reached the class and sat down, they began pulling out their quills, ink and parchment. Iris wasn't sure why Fred had slipped her this particular piece of parchment, but she pulled it out anyway. What could be the harm?

Once Binns passed out the exams, Iris saw that Eva wasted no time in scribbling down her answers. The girl was a beast. Iris was fairly certain her friend wasn't even breathing in between questions. Iris sighed and looked down at her own paper. Everything written there seemed like gibberish. None of it made sense to her. There wasn't even any room to make answers up – she wouldn't have a clue where to begin. She was about to stand up and just hand back her test blank, but something caught her eye before she could do so.

On the piece of parchment Fred had given her, words began to appear as though an invisible hand were scrawling them. She stared at them for a second until finally a message appeared.

_Iris, are you taking your exam yet? This is Fred and George. We're in the library. Anything you write on this parchment we can read as well. Give us a question and we'll look it up for you._

Iris couldn't believe what she was seeing. Could this really be happening?

_Fred? George? How does this work? Where did you get this from?_

Within a few seconds, the words she had written faded into the parchment only to be replaced by new words.

_Never mind that now. Your time is running out. Give us a question._

Iris quickly scanned through the test and wrote a few questions down.

_Who was Isaac the Insane? Who was the youngest wizard to master a Patronus charm? In what country was magic known to have originated?_

She waited a few minutes before another message came through from the twins.

_Isaac was born in 1123 and believed he could befriend trolls by playing music. This only made the trolls angrier and he was killed. Titus Relch was the first wizard to master a Patronus charm. And magic originated in Siberia._

Iris quickly went about scribbling down these answers, then sending Fred and George new questions. They worked like this for an hour and a half until Binns dismissed the class. Iris couldn't believe it. She'd actually completed the test! Whether or not the answers were right was a completely different matter, but still, she most likely hadn't failed. Thank Merlin!

Before she left the classroom, Iris quickly tucked the parchment into her bag without anyone seeing it.

"Hey, Iris!" Eva shouted in Iris's ear. Iris jumped so high she almost hit the ceiling.

"Bloody hell, Eva! Don't do that." Iris exclaimed clutching on to her chest. Eva only grinned at her and dragged her off towards the Quidditch pitch.

"Let's go watch the boys practice. I promised I would, and I haven't so far." Eva explained "You always have to keep promises, Iris. That's what I was taught anyway."

"Yeah, you're right." Iris answered. The 10 minute walk to the pitch was a tad bit chilly. Winter was here, but it hadn't snowed yet so the cold was still bearable. The girls took their seats away from the crowd of other students. They kept away from other students when they were together. It wasn't too healthy to only rely on each other and the twins, but they couldn't care less.

"Hey, Eva, I was thinking. Maybe you should ask the boys what the Room of Requirement is," Iris said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"You're right. The twins should know because if they don't then I don't know who else possibly could," Eva said.

"The Room of Requirement is a secret room in Hogwarts that only appears when a person is in great need of it. The room then transforms itself into whatever the witch or wizard needs it to be at that moment, although there are some limitations. It's on the seventh floor across from the Barnabas the Barmy tapestry." The answer came from none other than Percy Weasley.

"Oh, hi, Percy!" Iris said with excitement. Eva just rolled her eyes and smiled at her friends behavior; the girl turned into mush as soon as Percy was around.

"Hiya, Percy" greeted Eva. "Thanks for the answer."

"Hello girls," Percy said smiling. "You're more than welcome. How did you hear of it anyway?"

"I found it by accident yesterday," Eva answered. "Charlie told me what it was but not exactly what it did. He decided to be mysterious."

"Charlie likes to do that," Percy said smiling.

"Why are you here anyway?" asked Iris quickly realizing she sounded a bit rude. "Not that you shouldn't be! I mean, it's perfectly understandable if you want to be! I just meant that, I know you don't like Quidditch and…"

"Iris!" Eva said laughing at her friend. "He gets it."

"Right…" Iris blushed.

"Well, Iris I like to support my siblings where I can." Percy answered, obviously amused at the young blonde's rant. Eva just smiled and ignored the two in favor of watching the boys practice. As soon as they spotted them, Fred and George's flying became fancier than usual. _Show-offs,_ thought Eva. She couldn't wait till next year when she would be flying too; against them, but she'd still be flying.

Practice was over in an hour. The girls and Percy met up with the boys and Charlie, and together they walked back to the castle. Percy and Charlie walked ahead together. It was chillier than when they left the castle earlier. Eva was freezing, much to her dismay. Fred noticed this and he gave her his cloak that was too big.

"No, Fred. I'm fine, really," Eva said trying to hand it back to him. "You're going to become ill, and I'll never forgive myself."

"Take it, Eva. I'm hot anyway since I just got out of practice," Fred answered shoving the cloak around Eva and wrapping her in it.

"Even more reason to get sick!" Eva said struggling against Fred.

"You're taking it, and that's that." Fred said defiantly, walking away to prove his point.

"You aggravate me, Fred Weasley!" yelled Eva after him.

"You love me, and you know it, Eva Darling!" Fred yelled back grinning. Eva smiled and wrapped herself in his cloak. She was giddy, and she didn't really know why.

The next morning Fred Weasley was in the hospital wing recovering from a fever and slight pneumonia.

"Told ya," Eva said grinning from his bedside.

"Oh shut it," answered Fred.

**So, there you have it. This chapter is very true to real life. I'm horrible when it comes to History, and Eva likes to throw it in my face a lot of the time and tell me I'm not trying hard enough. Oh well. Anyway, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we are at chapter 7! This chapter covers Christmas break and their return to Hogwarts. Here you will get a peek into Eva and Iris's family life. Enjoy!**

The days turned to weeks, the weeks into months. Before they knew it, Christmas was quickly approaching. With the holiday break just a week away, the two friends were getting antsy. Eva was excited to return home to her family; however, she was greatly dreading spending two weeks at home with her grandmother. She would be no doubt aware that Eva spent most of her time trotting around with Gryffindors, and that would simply be unacceptable. Iris, on the other hand was getting more and more edgy by the minute. The full moon was just two days away, and every little annoyance set her off. She did her best to hide her emotions, but her grumpy moods did not go unnoticed by her best friend, the twins and – much to her dismay – Percy.

The twins were nothing but excited for the Christmas Holiday to begin. They had already confided in the girls about how they planned to test a few new pranks out on their younger brother, Ron. Eva and Iris had never met Ron personally, but they both agreed that if he had to grow up with the twins then they felt sorry for him.

"How can you feel sorry for him?" Fred exclaimed. "You don't even know the little bugger."

"Oh, Fred, what is he? Ten?" Eva scolded playfully. "You two are his elder brothers. You should know better. Now, if you want to pick on Percy, that's a little different."

"Nah," George waved his hand passively. "He's no fun to mess with."

"Besides," Fred interjected. "Have you seen him recently? He hasn't exactly been cheerful. I think that has something to do with you, Iris."

Iris looked up at the twins from where she sat at the Gryffindor table. Her head had been resting on her arms with her eyes downcast. When she was in a mood, like she was now, she found it better to just keep her mouth shut. She didn't want to cause another argument with her friends. "What?"

"Oh, come on, Iris," Eva shoved her friend playfully. "It's no secret that Percy fancies you. The entire school practically knows."

It didn't go unnoticed by Eva that George's smile dropped ever so slightly. She quickly wished she hadn't said anything.

"And you've been ignoring the git for a few days now," Fred commented. "I don't know about you, but if that were me, I'd be a little touchy too."

Iris saw Fred smile at Eva and Eva blush in response. The amount of flirting the two did really ticked her off during the full moons. Couldn't they keep it to themselves? It wasn't like the entire school wasn't talking about them either.

Iris forced herself to calm down. The truth was, she had purposefully distanced herself from Percy these last few days in order to keep their friendship intact. The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt him. She couldn't risk lashing out at him. Now, she only felt like she was hurting him more by pushing him away. She felt tears surface to her eyes as an overwhelming feeling of guilt and helplessness washed over her. Why did she have to be this way? Damn the bloody full moons. Damn the monster that she was.

George noticed something was amiss with the blonde and decided to voice his concern. "Iris, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm just a little homesick," Iris lied, brushing away the tears they had all seen by now. "I'll be fine."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, before Fred decided to break it. "Well, I think we'd best be off to class, right George? We've got a week left with McGonagall, and oh so many pranks left to pull. I say we recycle one of the classics! You be Fred, I'll be George. She hasn't seen that one in awhile."

The two were smiling broadly when they rose from the table. Before they left, however, George placed a hand on Iris's shoulder and said, "You'll be home in a few days. No worries."

Iris actually felt the urge to pull away from him. He didn't know how she was feeling. He had no clue what she was going through. How dare he try to comfort her?

She forced herself to give a weak smile and was almost glad to see the two walking away.

Eva could see that something was wrong with her friend, something very wrong. But she knew Iris would never want to talk about it, especially in her current state of moodiness. So she decided to change the subject.

"I'm glad they're gone. I've been wanting to talk to you about something." Eva paused, waiting for some sort of reaction from her friend. When she didn't receive one, she continued. "What the bloody hell are we going to do about whoever is reading our notes? I mean, they're not getting much information now, but the day's going to come where one of us is going to need to say something important to the other, and we can't have this person reading our private goings-on."

Iris was somewhat grateful for the distraction by Eva, but also somewhat annoyed that her friend would choose to dwell on something so trivial. Still, it was a distraction.

"Well, Fester is all I have," Iris said a little too defensively. "So, unless _you've _got an owl, then we have to keep using him."

Eva flinched slightly at her friend's bitterness, but decided it was best not to say anything. "No, I haven't got an owl. We could try using codenames for everything."

"No, that wouldn't work," Iris rejected. "Whoever it is already knows who we are. It wouldn't take them long to work out the new names. Is there any kind of spell we could use to prevent the person from reading it?"

Eva responded, "All the spells I know of are far too advanced for us to master. We'd have to be at least fifth years. What about a potion?"

Iris paused for a moment, trying to recall a memory. "You know what? I think I remember reading something about a potion involving invisible ink. You can brew it in such a way where only certain people can read the ink."

"That's perfect!" Eva practically shouted. "How do we brew it?"

Iris deflated a little bit. "I don't remember. The book is at home. I'll have to look it over during the Christmas holiday. If we can get all the ingredients, we'll brew it when we get back."

"Brilliant!" Eva said, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulder. Iris wanted to flinch away, but resisted at the last moment. "Now, let's get to class before Snape has a fit."

OoOoOoOoO

The time to leave had come and the girls couldn't be more miserable. There was of course the happiness Christmas would bring, but they'd have to be apart for a whole two weeks before they saw each other again.

"I'll write to you. I promise!" cried Eva as she hugged Iris goodbye on the train. She didn't wan to risk her grandmother getting further proof of her friendship with Gryffindors, or worse. She didn't even want to think about what her grandmother would say to Iris.

"Alright. I'll look forward to it, and I will of course write to you as well," Iris said smiling and blinking back tears.

"Bloody hell! You girls are acting like you'll never see each other again," teased Fred. George just smiled at them but obviously agreed with his brother.

"Oh shut it, Fred!" Eva said still hugging Iris. She glared at him playfully.

"Okay. Let go now Eva," Iris said, pulling away from her friend. She smiled and wiped her eyes. "Fred's right, it's not the end of the world. We'll see each together soon."

"Yup. Now give me a hug goodbye, or is Iris the only one you'll miss?" Fred grinned at Eva who smiled and hugged him.

"Of course not, you git! I'll miss you too, _mon ami_," Eva said.

"French?" asked George who was contently hugging Iris.

"Of course!" Eva laughed. "Didn't I tell you I was French? My Grandmere taught it to me."

"But you don't have an accent," Fred said.

"Well, I did grow up in England after my mama died. I lived in Spain before that. My mother was Spanish," Eva explained to her somewhat confused friends.

"Wait, if your Dad's French and your mum was Spanish, how did you end up in England?" asked Iris.

"My Papa is half French through his mum and half Italian through his dad. We ended up in England because he wanted to get away from everything that could remind him of my mama," Eva explained once more.

"Oh," the three said together. Iris laughed at the unison answer as she looked out the window noticing they would be there soon.

"Five more minutes, I presume," she announced.

In five minutes they had arrived at the platforms and went their separate ways. Eva ran to her father and brother while Iris met her parents and the twins found their mum. Eva was positive time would fly by and she'd see her friends soon.

OoOoOoOoO

"Beauxbatons! That is vhere you'll be going, young lady, if you do not straighten up and stop fraternizing vith those filthy Gryffindors!" Eva's Grandmere yelled her warning in her accented English. So much for time flying by. This vacation was heading straight to hell, and she hadn't even unpacked yet.

"Yes, Grandmere!" yelled Eva right back as stomped up the stairs to her room. Eva was miserable already. She jumped on her bed and just lay there in her green and silver room which she was positive had been blue before she left. She didn't mind much. It made her feel a little more at home to see the Slytherin colors she had gotten used to by now. She was interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she yelled not wanting to get up. To her surprise, it wasn't her Grandmere coming to give her another piece of her mind but her older brother, Henry.

"_Hola sorella_, can I come in?" her brother said smiling. Henry had been raised in Spain and Italy so his English was accented as well. He was 10 years older than her and had known their mother better. He spoke English, Spanish, Italian, and French growing up but he had recently learned other languages as well to help out his job as a curse breaker. He had been gone most of the time away at work for the past five years. Eva was more than glad he was home for winter holidays.

"Come in at your own risk, _fratello_. _No me siento muy bien_," she said as he sat on the corner of her bed. He simply smiled and nodded.

"Understandable. So I hear my darling little Luna (for Eva's middle name was Selene) has been _rebelde _lately," her brother said, grinning. She smiled, knowing he was proud of her because he too hadn't conformed to their grandmother,r but he had been less obvious since he could get kicked out of the house.

"Yes, _fratello_ it's true!" She laughed, they both preferred Italian and Spanish over French but it was only due to their grandmother. The French language had nothing to do with it.

"Hanging out with no good Gryffindors?" he asked "Listen don't pay attention to what grandmother says. Be who you are, no matter what. As long as you're happy, then so am I. And if she kicks you out, remember you have me, and Egypt's really not that bad."

Eva hugged her brother and thanked him. He patted her head and kissed her forehead like he did when they were younger and dragged her out of her room to eat dinner. As she ate dinner with her family, she couldn't help but wonder if Iris's family was just as dysfunctional as hers.

OoOoOoOoO

"IRIS!"

"ZOEY!"

The two girls screamed each other's names as they ran down the hall and greeted one another with a giant hug. Iris was more than thrilled to see her cousin; it had been much too long since the two had shared company. As a welcome-home gift, her parents had arranged a family dinner for Iris for which she was eternally thankful. Seeing Zoey after so many months apart was just the thing she needed to take her mind off of missing her new best friend. The two giggled as they squeezed each other tightly.

Releasing each other from the warm embrace, Zoey looked at Iris and said, "You must tell me all about Hogwarts! Like, now."

"Come with me," Iris whispered, and the two girls giggled again and secretly stole up to Iris's room. The family guests could wait in Iris's opinion. They should know by now that the cousins could not be kept apart.

They sat crisscross in the middle of Iris's floor.

"So… Tell me! What's it like there?" Zoey demanded.

"It's absolutely wonderful!" Iris began. "You would love it there, Zoey. I know you would! Being a Gryffindor is great. I've got wonderful Housemates, and McGonagall – our Head of House – is a very lovely woman. Couldn't ask for a better Head of House."

"And your classes?" Zoey probed. She seemed to be hanging on Iris's every word, and Iris felt a little guilty. Although related to Iris, both of Zoey's parents were muggles. It would be another year and a half before anyone found out if Zoey had inherited the wizarding gene, but at this point, the outlook didn't seem too promising. Iris knew Zoey longed to attend Hogwarts and be able to produce spells with a flick of a wand, but the more Iris looked at the situation, the more it seemed impossible.

"They're not bad," Iris stated. " I'm very good at Potions, probably the best in the class, but Professor Snape only likes to praise his Slytherin students, so he doesn't look at me too fondly. And History of Magic is a killer! I can't focus in that class. Trust me, as much as you think everything about the wizarding world is fascinating, our History is just like muggle History: boring and pointless."

Zoey laughed at this, and likewise, so did Iris. How she missed spending time with her cousin.

"My new friend Eva is really good at it though. I just don't get how she is able to understand it all. All the dates and facts and information, it just goes right over my head."

Zoey sat more at attention now. "You've made another Gryffindor friend? That's wonderful. I would be so nervous that the only people I would get along with would be in Slytherin or something. How horrible would that be?"

Iris's smile faltered ever so slightly. "Actually, Eva _is_ in Slytherin. She's in the Sinclair Family."

"The _Sinclair_ Family?" Zoey gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Aren't they one of the most powerful wizarding families there is?"

"Yes," Iris confirmed. "And all pure-bloods at that. They're right up there with the Malfoys and Blacks. But Eva is different. She's very sweet and understanding. We get along so well together, and I can't imagine going through Hogwarts without her."

"That doesn't sound very Slytherin-like to me," Zoey said.

"It doesn't sound very Slytherin-like to any of the Slytherin's either," Iris stated. "But the Sorting Hat chooses what it chooses for a reason, I guess."

"What's this I hear?" came a voice from the doorway. "Little Iris has gone off and made friends with a _Slytherin_? Now, how could that be?"

The two girls spun their heads around to see a dark haired guy standing there, grinning mockingly down at them.

"David, how did you get in here?" Iris asked coldly. "I locked that door."

"Yes, but see, baby cousin, you forget that I am now out of Hogwarts and allowed to use magic whenever I please."

"Showoff," Iris shot at him. Zoey remained quiet from where she sat. David was directly related to Iris from her father's side, and Zoey was directly related to Iris from her mother's side. David and Zoey were not actually relatives and therefore spoke as little as possible to each other.

"So, what's this I hear about you making Slytherin friends?" he continued as if she had never spoken.

"Oh, what? I'm not allowed to make friends outside my own House?" Iris rebuked. "Just because you hung around with your Slytherin lot all the time doesn't mean I have to be surrounded by Gryffindors twenty-four seven."

"Yes, well, even so. Out of all the Slytherins you could find, you choose one of the Sinclair Family," David smiled. "That's an interesting notion. I wonder if any of her family knows she's been consorting with a Gryffindor. Hmm…"

"Get out of my room," Iris said, standing up. She may not be able to use magic outside of school just yet, but she sure could use force. "Get out." She walked up to him and shoved him as hard as she could through the doorway. However, as David was seven years her senior, this showing of "brute" force did very little to mobilize him.

He backed through the doorway as she continued to push him, holding up his hands in mock defeat. "Alright, baby cousin, I'm gone. For now." And with that, he turned and receded down the hallway, pausing only to say over his shoulder, "Oh, and your mum says it's ten minutes till dinner. So get your butt down here soon." With a casual sticking out of his tongue, he disappeared down the stairs.

Iris shut the door forcefully, then turned back to Zoey.

"For an eighteen-year-old, he is so immature," Iris said, taking a seat on the floor.

"I don't think that was just immaturity," Zoey said, shifting uncomfortably. "He sounded like he actually meant to tell Eva's family about you two."

Iris shrugged it off. "Nah, he wouldn't do that," she said. "…Would he?"

"Hey, he's _your_ cousin," Zoey deflected. "You would know better than I would."

Iris sighed and had to agree. As much as she hated to admit it, she and David used to be close (well, as close as two kids can be with seven years between them), and now it seemed more and more that David was hanging with the wrong crowd. Too many dark wizards had influences in his life nowadays, and Iris couldn't help but feel that it all started when he became a Slytherin. Would he be the same David today if he had been placed in Gryffindor instead? And with that came another, equally disturbing thought: Would Eva turn out the same way?

Zoey could see that these thoughts were bothering Iris and was quick to change the subject. "Hey, come on. Dinner will be ready soon, remember? I bet everyone is dying to hear about how your first year is going!"

Iris smiled and gave her cousin a long hug. Zoey was her support force, someone she could count on no matter what came her way. She was so thankful to have her in her life.

Once they released each other, the two made their way to dinner.

OoOoOoOoO

Before either had time to adjust to their homes once more, the time had come to leave to Hogwarts again. Eva was sad to see her brother go, not knowing when she'd see him again and Iris was sad to leave Zoey behind. As they bade their goodbyes to their respective families on the platform, the girls spotted one another across the crowd. They ignored each other and walked on in opposite sides of the train as strangers. As soon as the train started moving, however, both girls ran through the compartment and hugged each other fiercely.

"I've missed you!" cried Eva hugging Iris tightly.

"So have I!" Iris cried as well clinging on to her best friend.

"Honestly, George, you'd think they hadn't seen each other in years," came the voice of Fred Weasley from inside a compartment.

"Come in girls, and sit down before you cause a scene!" laughed George.

"Oh shut it, both of you!" Iris berated happily. Eva hugged Fred and went on to hug George.

"I've missed you troublemakers too," Eva said.

"You know, George, I don't think my hug had quite as much feeling as Iris's did," Fred joked.

"That's as much feeling as you're getting from one of my hugs, Fred Weasley," Eva said punching Fred's arm.

"So mean! To think I actually got you a present!" Fred said turning away from Eva. Eva's face lit up completely.

"You did!" she asked

"Yes, but I don't bloody want to give it to you now," Fred said smiling.

"Aww, Fred, don't be so mean," Eva said looking up at him with her best puppy eyes. Fred smiled at her and pulled a box out of his pocket.

"Fine, but only because you're adorable and you're begging is hard to resist," Fred said causing Eva to blush. Fred gave Eva a box that looked rather old. Eva wondered how long he'd had it and if anything was going to pop out and startle her. With a glance towards Iris's smiling face Eva opened the box to find a very pretty necklace inside. It was the most beautiful pendant she had ever seen: a red heart hanging off of a silver chain with an intricate design encasing the bottom and back of the heart with smaller stones in the design. She immediately hugged Fred so tightly she was sure she had broken his neck.

"Thank you! _Gracias! Gracie! Merci!_" Eva exclaimed. "I would say it in all the languages of the world if I could. I love it so much, Fred! It's the prettiest necklace I've ever received! I'll treasure it always, and I'll always wear it! I promise."

"You're more than welcome," said Fred. "I'd say it in a bunch of languages too, but I can barely speak English." Eva laughed and hugged him once more, this time kissing his cheek.

Fred wore the biggest smile George had ever seen. George grinned happy with his brother's accomplishment, then turned to Iris and held out a box for her as well.

"And for you," he said as her face lit up.

"You got me something?" she asked in excitement.

"No," he said sarcastically. "I just want you to throw this away seeing as you're nearest to the door. Yes, of course I got you something, silly."

Iris took the box with trembling fingers. No one had ever gotten her a gift before, save for her family members. And from a boy no less. Her insides were positively giddy with excitement. She lifted the lid to reveal an ornate silver flower amidst a calm tangle of silver vines suspended from a delicate silver chain. It was the most gorgeous necklace she had ever seen.

"Oh my God, it's an iris," she said, indicating the type of flower.

"No, _you're_ an Iris," Fred remarked to which Eva responded by hitting him playfully.

"No, I mean the flower," Iris said, too enrapt in the beauty of the gift to take note of the joke. "George, this is… I mean… It's…"

"You're welcome," George said, smiling. The two hugged for a few moments, completely absorbed in happiness. "Here, I'll help you put it on."

Iris turned around and pulled her hair to one side while George placed the necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp. It was then Iris noticed something was wrong. Very wrong. The places where the metal touched her flesh began to sting. Tiny pinpricks of pain shot around her neck and chest where the pendent hung. She moved to adjust the necklace with her hands, but upon touching it with her fingertips, felt the same stinging sensation there as well. As the stinging gradually grew to a burning sensation, she quickly developed the urge to get the necklace off of her.

She struggled against the clasp, but her fingers could not get a grip. She began to panic.

"Iris, what's wrong?" Eva and George asked at the same time.

"It hurts," Iris choked out. "I can't get it off."

"I got it, I got it," George said, quickly gabbing and unfastening the clasp. Iris quickly pulled away, tears streaming down her face, and leaned on Eva's shoulder for support.

"What happened?" they all asked at the same time.

"The necklace," she sputtered out through sobs. "It burned me."

They could begin to see raised red skin form around Iris's neck where the metal had touched her. George passed the piece of jewelry from one hand to the other and back again. "It feels fine to me."

Eva wrapped her arms around a crying Iris, doing her best to soothe her. "Are you allergic to silver?" Eva asked.

"Dunno," Iris mumbled, knowing full well that was a lie. Why hadn't she realized it earlier? How could she have been so careless? Werewolves weren't supposed to come in contact with silver. If left in contact for too long, silver was deadly to a werewolf, even in human form. She should have realized it when she opened the box, but she hadn't. She'd been too blind-sided by the fact that George had given her a gift. She felt horrible about this. "N-never had silver jewelry before. A-always g-gold."

"Maybe that was it, then," Fred said, trying to make sense of the situation. "Maybe it was just an allergic reaction."

"Yeah, maybe," Eva said automatically. Something just didn't quite feel right to Eva. She couldn't help but wonder that there was something else going on here.

George, completely unsure of himself at this point, slipped the necklace back into the box and placed it on the seat beside him. What a horrible way to begin the New Year.

OoOoOoOoO

By the time they reached Hogwarts, they had mostly forgotten about the incident that morning on the train. The four friends had whiled away the hours discussing their adventures over the holidays. Naturally, Fred and George had gotten into more mischief, the recounts of which made the girls giggle. When the train finally pulled into the station, the four were exhausted from laughing.

They all went to their respective dormitories that night very happy to be back at Hogwarts amongst friends. As Iris climbed into bed, placing the necklace box (which she insisted on keeping despite its harmful contents) on her nightstand, she noticed a small package lying on her pillow with a note attached. It read: _Iris, I saw this and thought of you. Happy Christmas. Percy._

Praying to Merlin it wasn't another silver pendent, she pulled open the wrappings to reveal a book entitled: _Perfecting the Perfect Potion_ by Bartholomew Uluru. She quickly flicked through the pages, giddy with excitement. The book was wonderful and full of fascinating potions that she was already eager to try out. She had meant to pen a quick note to Eva asking if her grandmother had ever found out about her befriending a Gryffindor (for she was still unsure if David had told the Sinclair Family about the two or not), but she was too far gone, lost in the pages of her new potions book. She fell asleep outside the covers of her bed with the book on her chest.

**If you were confused by Eva's family history, do not fear. I've known Eva for a few years now and am **_**still**_** confused by it. And as a quick heads up, Eva and I have decided that the next chapter will skip to the last two weeks of their first year. Then then following chapter will begin their second year, filled with much Sorcerer's Stone awesomeness! Thanks for reading. Leave a review. Much love to all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright, so this has been a long time coming, but that is because the school year has kicked in, leaving a major delay in our writing. Fortunately, the new chapter is here! As stated previously, this chapter jumps to the end of May of Eva and Iris's first year, leaving one week left of school. Enjoy!**

* * *

Before any of them realized it, the months flew by and it was now the end of May. In a week they would be off once more for their summer holiday. Charlie would be graduating and they would all move up a year. Eva doubted this, however, seeing as Fred and George wouldn't do their Potions homework. Some type of rebellion against Snape.

"Honestly, you two! You're going to get an "incomplete" for the year, and your mother will murder you!" reprimanded Iris. She was quite angry with the twins and their latest shenanigan.

"Calm down, Iris," Eva tried to soothe her friend's rage. "It is completely their problem. If they want to fail, let them." Though she too glared at the cowering twins.

"What?" Iris shouted, only to be shushed by Madam Pince. "Sorry. I will speak to you two later!" Iris left in a huff with the twins and Eva staring after her.

"Time of the month again?" asked Fred. Eva and George only nodded in response.

Eva and the twins had grown accustomed to Iris' monthly mood swings. Eva was so suspicious as to why Iris was so moody. Eva knew that as girls they had reasons to be weird once a month, but Iris seemed to have her moods so severely that it didn't seem normal. Eva had mentioned it a few times, and Iris would only get flustered and avoid the question. She didn't want to seem pushy though, so she figured Iris would tell her someday.

OoOoOoOoO

Later that evening, as Eva once more sat with her Gryffindor friends, Iris seemed to have gotten out of her foul mood. Iris couldn't help but notice how Fred beamed every time Eva's heart caught the light and glittered. It was a beautiful necklace that Eva wore proudly. Iris felt a bit sad that she couldn't wear hers and felt jealous of her completely normal friend.

"Hey Iris," Eva said snapping Iris out of her daydreaming. "Did you do your History of Magic homework? It's due tomorrow, you know."

"What!" Iris exclaimed standing up. "I thought it was due next week! You have to help me!"

"I will, okay, just calm down," Eva said pulling her friend back in to her seat. "You sure freak out easy."

"You don't understand, Eva!" Iris yelled and once again stormed out of the Great Hall. Eva looked like she was about to cry but blinked back her tears. Iris had never yelled at her before.

"Um…It's ok, Evie. You know how she gets," Fred said trying to comfort Eva.

"Yeah, she yells at us all the time!" George laughed nervously.

"But you guys are used to it! I hardly ever get yelled at," Eva exclaimed dropping her head onto the table. Fred and George exchanged glances but decided to leave it alone. Fred only placed his hand on Eva's shoulder when the tears finally began to spill from her eyes.

Meanwhile, Iris stormed out of the Great Hall, determined to put as much distance between herself and her friends as was possible. She was so angry that tears actually surfaced to her eyes. She pushed them away and kept walking.

Her feet guided her to the Owlry, and only when she was sure she was the only person occupying the hutch did she let out an angry scream . Her life was so bloody screwed up. Why did she have to be this way? They just didn't understand, they _never _would. Eva was always asking her why she had such violent mood swings, and the best she could do was to shrug it off. This was insane. How was she supposed to put up with this for another six years? She was beginning to run out of excuses for her absences once a month, and there had even been a few close calls where her companions had discovered her in the hospital wing the morning after. She couldn't do this anymore.

In all her distress and defeat, Iris pulled out a piece of parchment and quilled a letter to her cousin Zoey. Being family, Zoey knew what Iris was. She was the only person Iris could talk to now.

_Zoey,_

_I don't know what to do anymore. I just need someone to talk to. I wish you were here right now, because I really need you. I just got into an argument with my friends – a big one this time. I yelled at Eva. I mean, I actually yelled at her. I've never done that before. She's my best friend, Zoey, and I feel terrible about it, but at the same time, I don't. I have such conflicting emotions right now, and I don't know what to do about them. Keeping this secret is the hardest thing I've ever done. I thought it would get easier after the first few months, but it's only gotten more difficult. What if they find out what I am? What if the entire school finds out? I know you don't have any interactions with wizards outside the family, but not everyone is as accepting of people like me as you are. We're ridiculed and feared. Bloody hell, I hate this. I just wish there was someone here who understood._

_I'm sorry to send such a confusing, emotional letter, but I needed to get it all out. You're the only one who I completely trust with this secret. You're the best, Zoey. I love you._

_-Iris_

By the time Iris had signed her name, she was sobbing uncontrollably. After a few moments, she regained a bit of composure and sent the letter off with Fester. She wiped her eyes one last time, then turned to leave.

And came face to face with Percy Weasley.

"Iris, what's wrong?" he asked, concern coloring his voice.

"N-nothing," she stammered, too surprised by his sudden appearance to think of an adequate lie. "I was just sending a letter to m-my c-cousin."

"You were crying," he pressed, stepping completely into the Owlry. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes. I'm f-fine," she sputtered. More tears began rising to her eyes.

_No, don't let this happen now,_ she thought. _Don't cry in front of Percy!_

"Iris, if something is wrong," he said, "you can tell me."

"No," Iris asserted, "I can't."

The elder boy looked somewhat taken aback by her remark. "Why?"

"Because I just _can't_, okay?" That was it. The tears cascaded down her cheeks again, briefly staining her skin.

"Iris-."

"Percy, listen to me," she said as calmly as she could. "I know you fancy me. But you have to stop. You can't like me as anything more than a friend. You just can't. Please."

As the words tumbled out of her mouth and his expression changed to that of disbelief, she wished she could take them back. A silence hung in the air around them for a few moments. When the tension in the air became too thick to handle, Iris, still crying, pushed her way out of the Owlry, sobbing, "I have to go."

She didn't have to turn around to know that Percy still stood stock-still, unable to comprehend what had happened.

OoOoOoOoO

After leaving Percy, Iris made her way to the dungeons and into Snape's office. For once, she was glad tonight was the full moon. She didn't think she could bear going back to the Gryffindor common room and having to face seeing the twins and Percy again.

"You are late, Miss Felix," Snape said as she entered his office.

"Something came up that I had to take care of," she said defiantly.

"And you thought it would be wise to put your fellow classmates in danger just so you could finish a personal errand?" he scolded as she took the goblet of Wolfsbane Potion off his desk and drank. "Need I remind you that your condition is not to be taken lightly? That you should be thankful Professor Dumbledore allowed you to attend this school in your state? You could at least show your gratitude by making it here on time. What if you had transformed while still within the school?"

Iris didn't take kindly to Snape's lecture. "Look, I'm trying my best here, okay? This isn't the easiest thing in the world! And, by the way, your personal lecture on the proper etiquette of werewolves is also taking up valuable time, so unless you want me to transform right here in your office, I suggest we get a move on."

Snape and Iris stared each other down for a few seconds, a mixture of loathing and respect passing between them. Eventually Snape turned on his heel and beckoned for Iris to follow him to the Whomping Willow.

OoOoOoOoO

Eva woke the next morning, completely dehydrated from crying. Why had Iris yelled at her? What was so wrong in her friend's life that she couldn't even confide in her best friend?

Eva forcefully pushed the thoughts away and made her way to breakfast. With one week left to school she decided she would sit with her fellow Slytherins. Contrary to popular belief she did have friends in the House. She spotted her roommates, the Evergreen twins who she was quite fond of. The girls had accepted her and confided in her that they two despised their family. Izzy and Alex were German with the accent and all. They had blonde hair with the bluest eyes Eva had ever seen. The only way to tell them apart was that Izzy was a bit taller than Alex. They greeted her and she sat down.

"Hey Eva!" Izzy greeted first. "Nice of you to join your House!"

"She probably got into a fight with Freddie," Alex teased. Eva stuck her tongue out childishly. They were the only ones allowed to tease her about Fred.

"For you information, I simply wanted to be Slytherin today," Eva lied. She was avoiding Iris. The Weasley twins would understand.

"Why?" Izzy asked, shocked. Eva shrugged and smiled. She started to put some breakfast on her plate. She noticed the Weasley twins walk in and smiled at them. They smiled back, understanding why she hadn't sat with them.

OoOoOoOoO

From across the Great Hall, Fred and George sat together, pondering. It was true that the two friends had had their spats in the past – always beginning with a snippy remark from Iris during her "times of the month", but it had never gone over like this. Eva didn't sit at the Gryffindor table this morning, wanting to avoid any further arguments with Iris. And Iris hadn't shown up for breakfast at all. Which wasn't that unusual. The three friends had gotten used to her disappearing once a month after her temper would flare. It was odd, and it was no secret that all three friends were dying to know what was up with their friend, but no one ever questioned her too much.

"Is she in the Hospital Wing again?" Fred questioned over his plate of pancakes. He had seen Eva pull a pile of pancakes toward her from across the Great Hall and decided that they looked delicious, so he too piled them onto his plate.

"Yeah," George said, discreetly examining the Marauder's Map and spotting the little dot labeled "Iris Felix" in the Hospital Wing. "Why is she always there? What is she hiding?"

"Got me," said Fred. "But it was really bad this time. I mean, did you see Percy when he came into the common room last night? I think something happened between them."

"Good," said George.

"Oh, stop being so bitter," said Fred. "You know she likes you."

"Yeah, but she likes Percy too!"

Fred tried to remedy the situation. "But I didn't see Percy getting her a beautiful necklace for Christmas, so you're winning."

"Yeah, but my necklace wasn't exactly the best gift in the world. Besides, he got her that Potions book that she's always carrying around with her."

"Okay, fine, if you want to be bitter, than be bitter. But I'm going to enjoy my pancakes." Fred turned away from his brother and picked up a fork.

"Not if I enjoy them first," George said as he picked up his own fork and stuck it into Fred's pile of pancakes, pulling them toward himself and out of Fred's reach.

"Oh, that's it," Fred said, lunging toward his brother. "You're done for now!"

The two spent the next five minutes trying to wrestle the pancakes from one another using only silverware. It was actually quite amusing. The rest of the Great Hall watched the entertainment.

Just as one of the twins was winning (after much scuffling and flailing arms, no one was quite sure which twin it was) a third fork plopped down right into the stack of pancakes, pulling them out of the twin's reach. The twins froze and looked up to see Eva glaring at them with a mixed expression of scolding and entertainment. "And now they're _mine!_"

For a brief second, the twins just looked at each other, thoroughly confounded at her sudden appearance and dominance in this game. Then, as if by some invisible signal, the twins nodded at each other and double-teamed Eva, fighting for the pancakes (which by now displayed many stab marks from the numerous fork injections). Eva squealed in panic as the two fought for the pancakes, taking advantage of the odds being two-on-one.

And suddenly, as one of the twins gain possession of the delicious breakfast foods, a fourth fork plunged down into the heaping stack and gained control of the game.

All three friends looked up in shock to see Iris standing there, a look of embarrassment, shame and apology written on her face.

No one said anything. No one made a move. The tension grew thick and incredibly uncomfortable. Iris contemplated putting the fork down and going back to her dorm to sulk.

Suddenly Eva ran up to her, stuck her fork in the pancakes, said, "You're on my team. Come on!" and ran out of the Great Hall.

The smile on Iris's face was so bright and relieved as she turned and followed her friend out of the room.

The Weasley twins just looked at each other for a moment before shouting, "Get them!" and chasing after the two girls.

OoOoOoOoO

The argument that had occurred between the two friends during Iris's cycle went untalked of after that morning. There was a mutual understanding that Iris felt horrible for what she had said but also that her friends had forgiven her. And to think, it all came about because of a feud over pancakes!

Regardless of how the friends were reunited, all four of them sat together on the Hogwarts Express as they made their journey home for the summer.

"Wow," Eva said. "I can't believe we actually survived our first year of Hogwarts. We are now officially Second Years!"

Iris smiled and hugged her friend in joy.

"Hold your unicorns there, girls," Fred said. "You're not Second Years until all the new First Years have been Sorted."

Iris and Eva looked at each other. "That is so not true!"

"Ask anyone," George affirmed. "Hey, Lee!"

As the twins' Gryffindor friend walked through the hallway, he poked his head inside their compartment.

"Yeah, mates?" he said.

"What's the rule about becoming a Second Year?" Fred tested.

"That you have to wait until all the new First Years have been Sorted."

"Thanks, Lee."

"Anytime, guys!" He walked away.

"See," George said.

"So, what, you're not Third Years until the new First Years have been Sorted, then?" Iris asked.

"Nope," Fred dismissed. "We're officially Third Years now."

"But," George said, "you two can't be Second Years until-."

"Until all the First Years have been Sorted," Eva continued. "Yeah, we get it."

"That being said," Iris stated, changing the subject. "You all better write over the holiday."

"Write to you?" the twins said in unison. "Never!"

Iris laughed at their joke and shoved them playfully.

"Eva, I want a letter every day!" Iris said to her friend.

"You bet! And likewise from you!"

"Of course!"

George said, "Your owls are going to hate you for running them ragged all summer."

"Well, your owls better hate you too," Eva said to the twins, "because I want letters from you guys all summer as well."

"Yes, mum," they said, again in unison. This time it was Eva's turn to shove them playfully (she shoved Fred a little harder than George).

"Looks like we're nearing the Station," Iris observed. "Guess we better get our bags ready."

As they gathered their belongings and waited out in the hall for the train to pull up to Platform 9 3/4, the two friends looked at each other in a mix of sadness and accomplishment.

"One year down, six to go," Iris said. "This summer is going to seem like forever."

"No, it won't," Eva soothed. "We'll be right back here in this very spot before you know it."

"I'm going to miss you," Iris said.

"I'll miss you too."

The two friends embraced, not wanting to let go of the fun experiences they'd had.

But once the train pulled up and all four friends said their final good-byes, Eva and Iris exited the train as strangers.

One year down, six to go.

* * *

**So, there you have it. One year down, six to go. As I said before, the start of the school year brought a lag to Eva and I writing this story; however, now that we are in the groove we are kicking out chapters much faster. The next chapter will mark the beginning of the girls' Second Year as well as the beginning of the Sorcerer's Stone. The next chapter should be out soon. Leave a review, please. Until next time…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Nothing in this story (besides Eva and Iris) belong to us. JK Rowling rightfully gets all the credit for this beautiful world.**

**So, here we are. Back with Eva and Iris's second year, and man does this hope to be an exciting year indeed! I apologize greatly for the gap between the last update and this one. School work has been quiet hectic, but with the end of the term quickly approaching, we should be kicking out more chapters frequently. So, without any further ado, I give you chapter nine!**

Eva sighed when she heard knocking on her door. She slowly got up from her History of Magic homework and opened the door. She was surprised to find her older brother Henri there.

"_Ciao, sorella_!" he exclaimed hugging his little sister close. Eva tried to push him away. As much as she loved her brother he was suffocating her.

"_Fratello_! Let go, you're choking me!" Eva laughed when her brother let her go and kissed her forehead.

"You've gotten quite tall, _Cher,_" Henri said as he let himself into her room and sat on her bed. He patted the spot next to him. Eva smiled and sat obediently next to her brother. "I've something to tell you. I'm not quite sure how you'll take it but I'm hoping you will take it well."

"What did you do?" Eva asked, afraid of the response. What if he had angered Grand-mere? Had he been disowned? Would she never see him again either?

"Don't look so scared, _ma soeur Cherie_." Henri put an arm around his little sister. He smiled and petted her head. "No, my news is happier. I have proposed to Aurore! You shall have a new sister." Henri announced it with such excitement Eva could not do anything but smile.

"That is fantastic!" Eva hugged her brother to hide her watery eyes in his shoulder. She could not be jealous or angry. His happiness mattered more than that. She would also one day marry as well, hopefully, so it was only fair that he found love as well.

OoOoOoOoO

_Iris,_

_I cannot wait to see you! I miss you so bloody much you have no idea. It has been difficult these past days. My fratello is getting married and to a frenchie! I'm not being racist, though my primo (cousin), Edward thinks so; I'm multi-cultural so that doesn't count. I'm a little worried, I must admit, I've never met her and I imagine all French are like my grand-mere. That however is enough about my pitiful life. I send you all my love and hope you are doing well. _

_Love,_

_Eva_

Eva sealed the letter and tied it to her new owl, Helios. The name had angered her grand-mere but she couldn't care less. She then set about writing a letter to the twins so the owl could deliver both letters and be done with it.

_Troublemakers, _

_I hope all is well with you both and that you are not driving your family insane. George, I hope you are keeping your brother out of too much trouble and remember that Ron is your brother, not your toy. Fred, Listen to George; he's not quite as malignant as you, and Percy is not your toy either. I miss you boys terribly, and I do hope that time flies and I will get to see you soon. I look forward to a year full of much mischief; my life has been an absolute bore these past few months. _

_Love,_

_Evie_

Eva strapped her letter to the twins to Helios' other leg so as not to unbalance him and sent him off with promises of food when he returned. Eva smiled at the thought of her friends and sighed when she remembered how far away they were and how tiring her family was.

OoOoOoOoO

Iris, on the other hand, could not get enough of her family. She loved when her cousins came to visit for dinners and picnics because she was able to spend so little time with them now that she spent most of her time at Hogwarts. The school year had been brilliant – all her new friends were the best anyone could ask for – but by being away, she had begun to miss her family. She especially hated being apart from Zoey.

But now that summer vacation was here, the two were practically inseparable.

"So," Zoey said excitedly as they two girls sat together on Iris's bedroom floor. They often snuck away from the rest of the family during gatherings so they could have their own private talks. "Tell me about them again."

"I've already told you about them," Iris said exasperatedly. "You could practically tell _me_ about our time at Hogwarts."

"No," Zoey corrected. "I mean, I know their names and how you met them and stuff like that. But I don't know anything about _them_." Zoey tugged on Iris's shirt sleeve. "Come on! I've got nothing to go off of here!"

"Alright, alright," Iris said laughing. "George is Fred's twin brother – although I'm pretty sure he's the shorter one of the two. I can't really tell them apart. And Percy is their elder brother by two years."

"So, he'll be a Fifth year this year?"

"Yep," Iris confirmed.

"And he fancies you?" Zoey pressed.

"Yeah," Iris said.

"And," Zoey continued tantalizingly, "you fancy him?"

"Well… yeah," Iris confirmed hesitantly. "But it's complicated. I mean, Zoey, I can't like anyone. Not with what I am. It can't work out for someone like me. Which is why I told Percy he can't fancy me anymore."

"You _what?_"

"Well, I mean it was right after I had written that letter to you at the end of the year about my fight with Eva. Percy saw me crying and wanted to know what was wrong. I couldn't tell him the truth, and I was just so angry and emotional that it sorta came out."

Zoey placed her hand to her forehead dramatically. "Why do you _do_ these things?"

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," Iris defended. "It's already been said and done. Can't take it back now."

"You're incredible," Zoey badgered.

"Yes, but you love me anyway."

The two girls stuck their tongues out at each other. A childish thing indeed, but they were only 10 and 12.

"So," Zoey said, getting back to the conversation. "What happened after that letter? Did you ever tell anyone about…?"

"No," Iris said, grimly. "No one knows I'm a werewolf. And I am perfectly content with keeping it that way."

"Oh, what's this I hear?" came a mocking voice from the doorway. The two girls turned to see Iris's elder cousin David standing there with a slick grin on his face. "You're not too keen on anyone finding out about you, baby cousin? Don't want them to know what you really are?"

Iris stood up, thoroughly pissed at his presence. "Get the bloody hell out of my room!"

"Oh, don't worry, baby cousin," David continued hauntingly. "You're secret's safe with me. Although," he added as an afterthought, "with my new job at the Ministry, they had to run thorough background checks on us and our family members. So, as long as you don't mind my boss knowing – Lucius Malfoy, his name is. And you know what's funny? I believe his son is starting at Hogwarts this year."

Iris went white. She was frozen to the spot and couldn't move. As much as she hated David's presence in her room, she couldn't bring herself to push him out the door.

"But," he said with a conniving smirk. "Like I said, your secret's safe with me otherwise, baby cousin."

And with that, he left the room of his own accord.

"Iris?" Zoey asked, hesitantly. "You okay?"

"He told," Iris whispered in horror. "Zoey, he _told._"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," her little cousin consoled. "It was for his job. They had to check."

"Yes, but the _Malfoys_." Iris was panicked now.

"Who are they?" Zoey asked. Being from a Muggle family, Zoey had very little knowledge of pureblood wizarding families.

"A powerful pureblood family," Iris said. "I think they're mostly Slytherins. Eva would know more about them than I would."

"Well, then ask Eva." Zoey put her arm around her cousin.

"Yeah," Iris said. "Yeah, when we go back to school."

OoOoOoOoO

That night, Iris quilled a few letters before turning off to bed.

_Eva,_

_Tell your brother I said congratulations on the engagement! (Unless of course that somehow gets you in trouble with your grand-mere. Then DON'T.) When is the wedding? I'm sure they'll be very happy together. I miss you very much. I'm counting the days till we have to return to Hogwarts – just a week away now. I can't wait to see you. Three months apart is just too long! I'm hoping for good things this year. And have you heard that Harry Potter is supposed to be attending Hogwarts this year as well? How exciting! I'll see you in a week._

_-Iris_

_Fred and George,_

_From your last letter, it sounds as if you two have been getting up to plenty of mischief over the holiday. I trust that you are both well, and I can't wait to see you in a week. Hopefully one of you will have grown significantly taller than the other so that I can finally tell you apart. If not, I'll just have to keep guessing. I miss you two muchly and am looking forward to seeing you again (and meeting your brother Ron – yet another Weasley hopefully destined for Gryffindor). See you in a week._

_-Iris_

_Percy,_

_We've had no correspondence over the holiday, but I trust that it's because you've been busy with school work and preparing your duties as Prefect (Fred and George told me). Congratulations, by the way. _

She crumpled this up and threw it in the bin.

_Percy,_

_I know we haven't spoken much since that day in the Owlry. And I wanted to say that I'm sorry…_

She crumpled this up and threw it in the bin.

_Percy,_

_We'll be going back to school in just under a week, and I hope things aren't weird between us. If you don't want to be friends anymore, just tell me._

She crumpled this up and threw it in the bin.

_Percy,_

_Hoping you are well. See you in a week._

_-Iris_

OoOoOoOoO

Eva looked at the clock hanging on her wall she had 10 minutes before she absolutely had to leave. Everything was packed, her owl in his cage and her room was in order. Eva smiled as she looked around; she couldn't wait to leave.

"Vamonos, sorella!" exclaimed Henri as he entered the room. He smiled and picked up her trunk. "I'll help you with this. We should really be going. Wouldn't want to miss you train, right?" He laughed once more and left. Her brother's utter happiness never ceased to amaze her. She simply shook her head, took one last look around her room and closed the door behind her.

At the station, Eva bid her grandmother goodbye while looking around for Iris and the twins. Her father and brother had left to work. All the while she assured her grand-mere that she would try to make more friends in Slytherin and that she would sit at her own table(If she ever found out who snitched she'd hex them into next month).

"Also, you will also become acquainted with young Draco Malfoy," Grand-mere explained. Apparently the Malfoys thought that she would be a good match for Draco even if she was a year older, but her father and Mr. Malfoy had been getting along fantastically and thought it would be nice if the families joined. Eva felt a bit sick at the idea of being forced to marry even if her father had reassured her that it would not be so and that she was too young to think of those things. It didn't soothe her at all. She had never met the boy, and she had no idea what he was like except 'a well-behaved pure-blood boy of the highest caliber.' It could mean many things but mainly that she'd hate him.

"Did you hear me Evangelina Seline Sinclair!" shouted Eva's grandmother when she realized her granddaughter had completely ignored her and spaced out during her lecture.

"Oui, grand-mere!" Eva answered a bit frightened by the yell and a little embarrassed at her full name being shouted. She could only hope none of her friends had heard her. She smiled pleasantly at her grandmother and hugged her with all the affection she could. It surprised Eva that she did have some affection for her cold-hearted grandmother.

"Good. I hope you have a wonderful year and that you follow my instructions. It iz for your best; you're a beautiful, intelligent girl and all I want iz to see you happy in a good family," her grand-mere told her, and she hugged her back and kissed both her cheeks with tears in her eyes. Frenchies were so sentimental, Eva thought, smiling. The old woman made it hard to hate her. Eva took a step back and was about to say something when she was interrupted.

"Well hello Madame Sinclair! What a privilege to find you here." Eva was sure she had heard that voice before. She turned around to confirm her suspicions to find that she was right; Lucius Malfoy was greeting her grand-mere with a dazzling smile. Eva couldn't help but admit that the man was very regal looking even if he gave off an evil aura.

"Lucius! How nice to have seen you here," Madame Sinclair greeted with a smile of her own. Eva automatically hid behind her grandmother. Good thing she insisted on wearing such puffy dresses. However, her attempt to hide didn't work. Lucius looked at her and gave her a smile that gave Eva goosebumps.

"Ah and this must be your darling granddaughter? Miss Eva, am I right?" he asked the obvious question. Eva was the youngest Sinclair…well not really but she couldn't think about that now.

"Yes, she is the jewel of the Sinclair family. Say hello, Cherie." Eva's grandmother pulled her from behind her to properly face Lucius.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy. It's an honor to meet you, sir. My father speaks well of you," Eva said automatically. She was used to these situations; she was a pureblood after all. This man, however; scared Eva to the point of wanting to cry. She couldn't understand why though. He looked like any ordinary man…sure he was handsomer and carried himself with more confidence but that aside he was a perfectly normal man. Eva swallowed as Lucius Malfoy looked her over, she felt like she was a new broom being inspected before it was sold.

"It's quite a pleasure to meet you too, young lady. Your father was very right in being so proud of you. You are quite a beautiful young lady and very well-mannered too," he finally said after what seemed like an eternity. Eva smiled gracefully, trying to fight the feeling of being a pretty pet. She felt grandmother's hand on her shoulder, and it snapped her out of her angry rant in her head.

"It is time to go, Cherie. The train will leave you." Her grandmother smiled and pushed her slightly towards the train. Eva turned hugged her grandmother, waved to Lucius and ran into the train. She had never been happier to get away from her grandmother, and that was saying something.

OoOoOoOoO

"Eva!" Iris yelled as her best friend boarded the Hogwarts Express just as it pulled out of the station. The two girls ran down the aisle of the train toward one another as unsuspecting First Years jumped out of the way in fright. They embraced for what felt like a decade when they finally met in the middle, feeling as if no time had passed since they last embraced in this very spot three months prior before departing for the summer holiday.

"I've missed you _so_ much!" Eva exclaimed through a mouthful of Iris's hair.

"I've missed you more!" Iris stated matter-of-factly while being crushed by Eva's tight squeeze.

"No way, I've missed you more."

"No, I've missed you so much more."

"Neither one of use has missed you a single bit; just in case you were wondering."

The best friends released each other and turned to see their other best friends, Fred and George Weasley, smiling broadly at them. Much to Iris's dismay, it didn't seem as if either of the twins had grown or gained any defining features that might finally distinguish one from the other. If anything, they looked more _similar_ than the last time the girls had laid eyes on them. Bloody fantastic.

"Twins!" both girls exclaimed in unison while warmly embracing the Weasleys. Eva hugged Fred tightly while Iris wrapped her arms around George. Once they had gotten their fill, they switched and greeted the other twin just as warmly.

"I've missed you so much!" Iris exclaimed.

"I've missed them more," Eva argued good-naturedly.

"No way, I've missed them _loads_ more!"

"No, I've missed them –."

"Alright, alright," Fred broke in. "We get it. We've all missed each other dearly."

Eva beamed up at them. "But I've missed you more," she said, and Iris nudged her in the ribs with her elbow.

"We've saved a compartment," George informed them. "Come on."

As the twins led the way, Iris said, "This place is mobbed with First Years. How did you ever manage to save a compartment?"

"My dear Iris," Fred said, slinging an arm around her neck.

"You underestimate us," George continued.

"And the naivety of First Years."

"Fred, get your hands off me," Iris stated playfully, while pushing his arm off.

As they sat down, Fred next to Eva and George next to Iris, the twins explained.

"All it takes is a few well-placed dung bombs. Place a few at the entrance to the car, tell the gullible First Years that all the compartments in that car have been laid to waste with said dung bombs and _viola!_" (Eva smiled broadly at Fred's use of the French language)

"Plenty of empty compartments!" George concluded.

Eva and Iris exchanged glances.

"I don't know whether to be mad at you for lying to First Years or bloody thrilled that you were able to save us a compartment," Eva said, glaring at the twins.

Fred knew how to remedy the situation. He smiled flirtatiously at her while saying, "Oh, come on, Evie. You know you can't resist our conniving ways."

Had it not been for the fact that Eva had not seen Fred for three months, she probably would not have given in; however, as this was not the case, she allowed herself to smile and playfully punch Fred on the shoulder.

They all laughed, pleased to be in one another's presence after so many months away.

As the train rolled on, they talked of simple things: their summer holidays, the Quidditch season, new prospective First Years, the twin's little brother Ron, and the rumor that Harry Potter was supposed to be starting his education at Hogwarts.

By the time the Hogwarts express had pulled into the station, the four friends had caught up on all the stories and laughs they had missed out on over the summer. They were ushered into the Castle by way of carriages seemingly pulling themselves along. Iris had inquired as to why they had not taken the boats across the Great Lake to the Castle, but the twins informed her that it was only First Years who took that journey.

As it was the first day back at Hogwarts, it was mandatory that each House member sit at their own House tables. Eva and Iris were not pleased with this prospect, but they warmly gave each other a good-bye hug, and Iris promised to send Fester with a note before the night was over. Waving good-bye, they each made their way to their House tables.

Iris sat across from Fred and George at the Gryffindor table. She was beyond thrilled that this year she would not have to endure the nerves of the Sorting with all eyes on her as her destiny was chosen for her. She was happy to sit with her fellow Housemates while the new First Years were shuffled in, looking increasingly frightened and wary. McGonagall led the way, holding her head high as she passed the rows and rows of returning students. When she reached the stool on which sat the Sorting Hat, she declared, "When I call your name, you will step forth, I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be Sorted into your Houses."

Each of the First Years stiffened significantly, silently pleading that their names would not be the first called.

"Hermione Granger."

A frizzy-haired First Year girl stepped from the crowd, sat herself on the stool and waited to be Sorted. Within a few moments the Sorting Hat bellowed from the rip in its brim, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Applause and cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table as Hermione was welcomed to come and sit with them. As the next student was called, Iris whispered a quick "Congratulations" to her just in time to see Susan Bones be sorted into Hufflepuff.

Iris's blood froze when "Draco Malfoy" was called next. So this was the Malfoy boy. If David was happy to be running around with Draco's father, then the boy was no doubt destined for Slytherin. She was not the least bit surprised to find that this was true. Iris glanced to Eva across the Great Hall as her House gained a new member. She did not see that Iris was looking her way, and Iris was surprised to see that Eva appeared to be congratulating Draco half-heartedly. Iris's curiosity pricked as she wondered what that was all about.

"Ronald Weasley" was called next, and Fred and George looked on with rapt attention and amusement.

"Destined for Gryffindor," she heard Fred mutter. "I think Mum would disown him if he ever got placed anywhere else."

Iris turned to face Fred. "Seriously?"

"Well," George said with a sly wink, "at least that's what we've told him."

Iris turned back to watch the Sorting as she rolled her eyes at the twins. Just as they had predicted, he was Sorted into Gryffindor. Another wave of applause and cheers went around as they welcomed the younger Weasley. He seated himself across from Hermione, shaking Fred and George's hands as he did so.

Suddenly, the room grew deathly quiet as "Harry Potter" was called next. He sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. Everyone waited with bated breath to hear what the outcome would be.

After an agonizingly long minute, which felt more like a year, the Hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

A roar of cheer went up like no other as the famous boy wizard excitedly joined them at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George chanted loudly, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Iris looked over at the Professors' table to see that even Dumbledore had raised his glass in congratulations to Harry.

The rest of the Sorting passed by much the same. By the end of it all, Gryffindor had gained Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan, while Slytherin had gained two blokes by the names of Crabbe and Goyle and a girl named Pansy Parkinson.

After that, Dumbledore made a quick announcement about the Third Floor corridor being forbidden (a few students murmured speculations as to why this was so), then the Feast began. Dishes of plentiful food appeared as if by magic (for indeed it was), and Iris much enjoyed seeing the looks of glee on all the First Years' faces. While they were eating, Iris overheard Harry ask a question to one of the elder students. She glanced over to see that he had engaged in conversation with Percy. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized it had been three months since she'd seen or even corresponded with Percy. She looked away from him feeling a horrible, sinking feeling in her stomach. He hadn't even said hello to her. He must hate her for what she'd said last year. She fought back the urge to cry.

Iris never realized that she had looked away an instant too late, for a moment later Percy Weasley glanced over to where Iris was sitting, hoping to make eye contact, but coming up empty.

The blonde girl tried to force away her thoughts by wondering how Eva was fairing over at the Slytherin table.

Eva had been surprised to find that she was actually enjoying herself at her table. She had caught up with her few friends and promised them she would sit with them at least twice a week. She had ulterior motives of course such as people (Draco Malfoy) ratting her out to her grand-mere. She had left on relatively good terms and wanted to keep it that way. She was sure Iris and the boys would understand. Speaking of Draco Malfoy, the boy hadn't stopped talking to her since the moment he sat down. Eva was trying her best to keep up but the glare the first year girl (Pansy, was it?) was starting to annoy her.

"…father knew I was destined for this great house," Malfoy ended his speech. Eva smiled at him as she ate but she couldn't help but wonder if the Malfoy heir put up a charade just like she did. Maybe he hated being a pure-blood too. She honestly doubted it though.

"Yes of course," Eva answered. She smiled at him and he smiled in return. "I had the pleasure of meeting your father at the train station," Eva informed through her teeth.

"Did you?"Malfoy asked a bit enthusiastically. "Great man, isn't he? My mum says I'm just like him." I hope not, Eva thought, otherwise even talking with him would be pure torture. Luckily for Eva it was time to head back to the rooms. She got up followed by her friends, the Evergreen twins. She had missed them too. She had even exchanged a few letters over the summer. Her grand-mere was thrilled to see she had friends.

"Wait!" Eva turned around to see Malfoy running after her. Great, what could he want now? Eva told the twins she'd meet up with them in their room. The twins agreed and made their way down the stairs to the dungeons where most of the Slytherins had already gone.

"What's the matter, Malfoy?" Eva asked. Using last names was a sign of respect and distance for pure bloods. She tried biting back a smile as the Malfoy boy leaned against the wall trying to catch his breath. So the kid was cute, he had good genes after all. His eyes were really green, just like the Slytherin colors. Eva couldn't help but wonder if he bled green too. She tried not to laugh at the thought.

"Look," he said finally. "I was specifically told to get to know you and get you to like me. You must know our fathers intend for our marriage." She nodded urging him to go on. Eva didn't want to think about it.

"Well, I do want to get to know you and for us to become friends," Draco said, blushing a bit. "But not for the sole purpose of our fathers' happiness. I don't like the idea of an arranged marriage more than I think you do; Purebloods or not." Eva smiled a bit and couldn't help but find herself liking Draco. He was a good kid after all.

"Well, I very much like that notion," Eva answered him smiling. "I do hope we can be friends. It would be nice to have more friends in my own house."

"So it's true your friends with Gryffindors?" Malfoy asked incredulously.

"Yes it's true!" Eva answered confidently. "You're not gonna tell my grand-mere are you?"

"No, why would I?" he answered. "I don't necessarily approve, but that's the point of being friends right?" He looked a bit shy and like he was afraid of rejection; all pureblood kids were.

"Yes it is. We accept each other no matter what and support each other too," Eva said reassuringly; though she did feel a bit like she was losing it. Here she was becoming best friends with a son from the cruelest of pureblood families. Malfoy smiled and held out his hands.

"Friends, then?" he asked. Eva took his hand and answered:

"Of course, Malfoy."

"Draco."

"Draco, in that case call me Eva."

"Alright, sure." The smile Draco gave her almost made her blush. She didn't even wanna see this boy when he got older. He was already handsome. Eva was sure he would catch the attention of many girls; Just not hers.

"Come on," Eva said finally. "Let's get going before they start wondering where we are." Draco nodded and followed Eva into the dungeons. She watched as he went to the boys' room after he bade her goodnight. Eva couldn't help but feel a bit of butterflies in her stomach. She was a little stunned at this and hoped it would fade because she fancied Fred. It couldn't be possible to fancy two, could it? Especially since she had only just met Draco, right? _Merde_! Oh Iris, how I feel a tiny bit of your distress, Eva thought desperately.

OoOoOoOoO

When Iris entered the common room for the first time in three months, a wave of nostalgia flooded over her. She approached the crackling fireplace, homey, just as it had always been, and ran her hand along the soft, velvet couch placed before it. The smile that inhabited her face was so large. She was home.

All the eager First Years had already scampered off to their dormitories, and only a few elder students hung back in the common room. Iris was one of them. She sat on the sofa and peacefully stared at the fire. She knew she should go to bed, that classes began the following morning and she should have full rest for her first classes (Potions and Transfiguration). But she didn't care. The warmth of the common room was beyond her ability to resist.

Slowly, the other students trickled off to bed, leaving Iris alone. The twins had tried to coach her up to her own dormitory, but she wouldn't hear it and waved them off with a flick of her hand. She loved this feeling. Home.

Eventually, her eyes began to droop, and sleep began to overtake her. It was the most at peace she had felt in so long.

She dreamed about strange things. She sat on a stool in front of hundreds of people, feeling entirely helpless. A giant Sorting Hat was placed on her head, and in her ear, it began to laugh at her. Through the guffaws, she could hear it speaking jumbled words to her. Although she could not make out exactly what was being said, she understood it nonetheless. "You don't belong here. Hogwarts is no place for a half-breed. Filth!" From the crowd of onlookers, Iris could make out the faces of Eva, Fred and George. She screamed out to them for help, but they turned their heads away in disgust.

_Hem-hm_

Iris woke with a start, feeling relief that it was only a dream. She wiped her eyes wearily, noticing that the fire had barely gone down. She had not been asleep for very long.

_Hem-hm_

There was that sound again. It had woken her up, but what was it?

She craned her head around to see that she was no longer the only person occupying the common room. Percy Weasley was standing there, his Prefect badge reflecting the fire behind her.

Iris sat up, startled, for she had not been expecting to see him of all people standing there.

"It's getting late. You should get on up to bed. Classes begin tomorrow." He said this authoritatively, although he glanced away occasionally as if afraid to be burned by her stare.

Iris's cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. Why had she lingered in the common room? Of course Percy would take his Prefect duties seriously and make sure the common room was clear of all students before retiring off to bed. Why hadn't she been thinking?

"Right," Iris stammered sheepishly. She rose to her feet and, hanging her head in embarrassment, quickly trudged past Percy and began to ascend the stairs.

She paused in her climb, knowing she would absolutely detest herself if she were to get all the way up to her dormitory without saying anything more to Percy. She had to at least try.

She opened her mouth and half-murmured, "Congratulations on the badge, Percy" while at the same time, the elder Weasley brother mumbled a small "Hope your holiday was alright." The moment passed awkwardly, neither knowing how to approach it. Finally Percy spoke. "Right. Well, off to bed now."

Without a backward glance, Iris scurried up the steps and entered the dormitory. She hesitated as she closed the door, staring at the ornate wood. Percy was just on the other side of that door, standing in the common room. He had spoken to her again. He had wished her holiday well. Was it possible he too wanted things to go back to normal between them?

But then Iris thought it through again. The way he had avoided looking at her, the way he had greeted her with authority, without even a hello. His well-wishes had been one of formality. Nothing more. Right?

Iris was weary and felt the strong desire to climb into bed and forget the entire ordeal. This was not how she had hoped to begin her first night back at Hogwarts.

She quietly dressed into her pajamas, hoping to not disturb her slumbering dorm-mates, and crawled into the familiar bed. Before she drifted off to sleep, she quilled a letter to Eva.

_Eva,_

_Feels wonderful to be back home. Who knew I would have missed the Gryffindor common room so much? It feels as if I never left. Hope you are feeling equally as comfortable to be back in the Slytherin common room._

_Hope to see you in class tomorrow,_

_-Iris_

_P.S. HARRY POTTER IS IN MY HOUSE! Jealous?_

**There you have chapter nine. Please leave a review on your way out. Eva and I love to hear what you guys have to say!**

**Until next time…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: As usual, Eva and I own absolutely nothing from this story except our own characters. JK Rowling is the mastermind behind everything!**

**So, here we have chapter ten, and I have to admit that Eva and I like this chapter very much. It is very much filled with romance and flirtation. Hooray! So, here you have it!**

Eva groaned as the first rays of light hit her face. She wanted to know why her curtains were open and why her covers were off.

"Rise and Shine!" yelled Izzy as she jumped on Eva's bed. "You now have half an hour to get ready for breakfast."

"You vant to look pretty for Freddie, do you not?" Alex taunted smiling.

"Go away_! Dejenme dormir_!" Eva yelled too sleepy to differentiate languages.

"Ummm…no?" laughed Izzy. "Come on. We'll meet you down there."

"Okay, okay. Just go," Eva said sitting up in her bed. She glared at the twins as they left, laughing their heads off. Too much like the Weasley brothers, Eva thought. She grumpily pulled herself out of bed and got ready for the day. Her hair had grown, Eva thought, maybe she should have cut it. After she was done she practically ran to the Great Hall, making sure to avoid Draco. She didn't need that kind of stress. As soon as she walked into the Great Hall she immediately headed for the Gryffindor table to sit next to Iris.

"_Hola, Amiga!"_ Eva said happily as she sat and made herself comfortable.

"You and your multicultural-ness," Iris laughed as she ate some pancakes.

"You know that's why you love me!" Eva laughed too as she ate some eggs. Soon after that the twins joined them as well.

"Hello, girls," they said in unison.

"How's the morning going?" Fred asked Eva. Eva couldn't help but notice his smile when he saw she was wearing the heart he'd given her.

"Alright, I suppose. Izzy and Alex woke me up way too early though," Eva answered. She turned around to find Draco staring at her as he was talking to his friends. He caught her staring as well and flashed a brilliant smile that almost made her blush again. The boy sure used his looks to his advantage, she thought.

"Why's that git staring at you?" Fred asked a bit angrily. "He's smiling and everything."

"He's a friend," Eva explained quickly. She was a bit afraid Fred would go over and say something. Draco had promised not to tell her grandmother about her friends but it was still a possibility. "He's just saying hi."

"If you say so, but I think he fancies you," Fred said seriously. Eva couldn't help but feel a bit happy at his jealousy. It meant her fancied her, after all.

"Jealous?" Iris teased trying to lighten the mood. George laughed as Fred tried to sputter a proper response. Eva suddenly stood up and pulled Iris up with her.

"Well enjoy your jealousy and breakfast boys, we're off to class." They left before Fred could answer. Eva was glad to get away; she didn't like being caught in the middle.

"Eva, Eva!" Iris yelled trying to catch up to her friend. "Hold on a minute!"

"Sorry," Eva apologized. "I just don't deal well with those types of situations."

"No kidding," Iris said smiling. "Now you know how I feel. Let's not think about that though. How about we get to class? We've got Potions first."

"Bloody Fantastic!" Eva sighed. Why was fate so cruel?

OoOoOoOoO

Just the mere smell of the Potions room had Iris smiling from ear to ear. She paused in the doorway and took a deep breath, savoring the wonderful aroma.

"Haven't you missed that?" Iris reminisced, hanging on Eva's shoulder.

"Get off of me," Eva said, pushing Iris aside. "And not really. It smells like something died in here."

"Miss Sinclair, Miss Felix," came a greasy voice from behind them. The two turned (Iris still smiling and Eva horrified), to see Professor Snape. "Take your seats or risk losing House Points on the first day of class." Eva groaned inwardly and moved to take her seat, but Professor Snape called her back. "And Miss Sinclair, I assure you nothing but your Potions grade has died in this class."

The Slytherin girl's face grew hot in embarrassment as Iris ushered her across the room and the two took seats.

"You really do need to improve your Potions grade, you know," Iris informed Eva.

"Really?" Eva retorted sarcastically. "I had no idea."

"I'm just saying," Iris said. "I mean, Snape is your Head of House. Doesn't do well to fail his class, does it?"

Eva rolled her eyes and looked at her friend, "The day you do well in History of Magic is the day I'll do well in Potions."

The girls' conversation was cut short by the start of the class. For Eva, the time passed by all too slow. For Iris it seemed only to last a few minutes. By the time they were dismissed, Eva was wiping her bleary eyes.

The class shuffled out as the next class shuffled in. Iris noticed Harry Potter, Ron and that Hermione girl make their way through the crowd. She also noticed the Malfoy boy that had smiled at Eva this morning. She wasn't too sure how she felt about their new found friendship. What if he told Eva that her best friend was a werewolf? Iris was almost certain that he knew. If David had told Lucius Malfoy about her, there would be almost no reason for him to keep that fact from his son. He would want Draco to know about his dangerous classmate to help keep him aware and safe. And if Eva and Draco were in the same House, it was only a matter of time, right?

Iris cringed at the thought, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her skin. She gave a half-hearted wave to Harry, Ron and Hermione and did her best to shuffle Eva out before she spotted Draco. She was too late, however, when she realized that Eva had given a slight nod to her Housemate.

As they reached the corridor, Iris casually (or, at least she hopped it was casual) asked Eva, "So, what's going on with you two? That Malfoy boy?"

"What Malfoy boy?" Eva replied nervously trying to get away from her friend. Iris only quickened her pace. Eva couldn't help but notice how Iris always had that extra something that made her unavoidable.

"The only Malfoy in the bloody school! You know, the first year blonde with green eyes," Iris said testily. She didn't like to push people on secrets but she had to make sure Eva didn't already know.

"He's the son of my Papa's best friend. He's my friend too. That's all, it's not like I like him as in more than that. _Pas du tout_! That would be ridiculous," Eva rattled off nervously, unaware she sounded very French after she admitted Draco was her friend. She hated these types of situations. She wasn't emotionally ready.

"Pas du tout?" Iris asked confused. She hated when Eva prattled off in another language or her words became so accented she couldn't understand it. "Whatever. So Malfoy is your friend?"

"Well, yes." Eva looked down guiltily. "It's what my family wants. He's charming really."

"I see," Iris said knowingly. She was beginning to suspect Eva might fancy him. "Does he fancy you?"

"I think so," Eva said blushing. "It most certainly seems that way."

"Oh."

"Yeah…" Iris didn't know what to reply.

"_Dios Mio_!" Eva yelled suddenly turning to her friend. The whole hallway stared at Eva with confused faces. "Iris I'm so confused!"

"About what?" Iris asked a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst. She was beginning to doubt her friend's sanity.

"About Fred and Draco!" Eva lowered her voice, not wanting to be heard. "I think I fancy them both! That's horrible of me! " Iris' eyes widened a bit at the revelation but quickly composed herself and smiled, trying to reassure her friend.

"Nonsense," Iris said, pulling Eva to sit down with her on a bench. "You barely know Draco and besides you and Fred are awfully close." Eva didn't look convinced at all. Iris couldn't blame her though; she knew the pain.

"I suppose you're right," Eva said finally. She opened up a book and started to read. Iris's mind, however, was racing. So Eva did know the Malfoys and they were pretty close by the sounds of it. Iris couldn't shake the feeling of absolute dread. What if Draco Malfoy knew her secret? Would he tell Eva? What would she say? Disown her for sure. Pureblood or not, no wizard or witch liked werewolves. Oh, curse the day she was turned! How she wished she could be normal.

"You okay?" Eva asked suddenly, snapping Iris out of her thoughts. Iris looked over to her friend's worried face and nodded, smiling. Eva smiled too and hugged her. "You're the greatest friend a girl could ask for. You always know what to say. You've helped me clear my mind." Iris hugged back and wondered if Eva would think the same even after she found out what she was.

OoOoOoOoO

Fred was furious! George was practically jogging to keep up with his brother's pace as they headed back to the tower. They had overheard Eva's little outburst and confession. George couldn't blame his brother for being angry but he was scared he would murder the little Malfoy git.

"Come on, Fred! Calm down. Everything'll be fine," George said as his brother burst angrily into their dorm.

"Alright! She fancies him!" Fred bellowed making George flinch. He always did hate his brother's temper. "You heard her! He's a Malfoy, George! He's got money and he's pureblood. They're perfect for each other!" Fred sat sadly on his bed.

"Come on now. Be fair to yourself. You're a hell of a lot better looking," George said sitting next to his brother. "Besides she really fancies you. She's a bit confused but that's common in girls."

"Easy for you to say, your only competition is that git Percy," Fred said angrily. "Some competition, that is." George winced a little at the mention of his older brother.

"Look, if she really does fancy him then you'll just have to woo her and remind her you're better," George said happily. "I know just what you can do!" Fred turned to his brother and couldn't help but feel hope.

"What do you have in mind?"

OoOoOoOoO

The next morning, Eva decided to sit with her own House at the Slytherin table at breakfast. Iris knew she was feeling torn between her friendship with Iris and the Twins, and her loyalty to her House. Iris was not at all fazed by this; if anything, she thought it healthy that her friend was spending time with her Housemates. But she couldn't help but notice the fact that Eva spent most of the morning engaged in conversation with the Malfoy boy. For the most part, Eva was smiling, which to Iris meant that he hadn't spilled her secret. That was a good thing. As long as Eva was smiling everything was okay.

From down the Gryffindor table, however, Fred Weasley was anything but smiling. If looks could kill, Draco Malfoy would be sprawled on the ground, heart ripped from his chest and smeared all over the wall.

"You've gotta calm down, mate," George chided. "The First Years are getting worried."

"Yeah, well…" Fred dismissed, forcing himself to look down at his plate of untouched food. He felt like crap when Eva spoke to Malfoy. What did she see in him anyway? A handsome face? Wealth? Slytherin lineage? With each additional possibility, Fred grew more and more depressed.

"Oi!" George shook Fred. "Snap out of it. That bloke's got nothing on you. Besides, after tonight you will have nothing to worry about."

George watched as the corners of Fred's mouth pulled back in a small smile. The twins had spent half the night discussing their plans for wooing the two Second Years with whom they had taken immediate fancies to. It was all worked out.

"There you go," George said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. "See, you're feeling better already."

OoOoOoOoO

With breakfast done and over with, Iris and Eva met together in the entrance hall and attended Transfiguration together. Iris was happy to once again be in the presence of her Head of House. Professor McGonagall was a highly respected witch for whom Iris felt a growing wave of affection. Sure, her classes were challenging, but the two girls felt all the better for it.

Half-way through the lesson on transforming mice into pin-cushions, Iris, who was sitting by the window, noticed a commotion coming from outside. When McGonagall turned her back, Iris craned her neck to see what exactly was going on outside. She was surprised to see a crowd of First Year students gathered on the school grounds with brooms in their hands. Obviously a Flying lessons was in progress. But where was Madam Hooch? Upon further examination, Iris noticed that the students seemed to be transfixed by something hovering in the air. Quickly glancing over her shoulder to be sure McGonagall's attention was still on correcting a Hufflepuff girl's wand work; Iris turned back to the window and to her astonishment spotted two boys hovering fifty feet above the ground, riding brooms. Her mouth dropped open when she recognized Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. The two seemed to be exchanging spiteful words with each other.

Knowing that these boys were sure to be punished for flying without the supervision of Madam Hooch, Iris made a decision. Perhaps it was spurred from her growing anxiety that Malfoy would inform Eva of the monster her best friend really was; perhaps it was spurred from her loathing of the Malfoy boy and the fact that the full moon was only a week away and she was growing restless; or perhaps Iris just wanted to see McGonagall's reaction at such disorder on the Flying field. But either way, Iris quickly raised her hand and spoke before she was even called on.

"Professor McGonagall, there are two boys outside on the Flying field riding brooms, and Madam Hooch isn't out there!"

McGonagall quickly rushed to the window just in time to see Harry Potter make a fantastic dive toward the Castle, catching what appeared to be a glass ball in his outstretched hand.

McGonagall looked shell-shocked. "Everyone, remain in your seats and continue to practice your spells. I will be back in a moment." And with that, she hurried out of the classroom.

The moment the students knew McGonagall was out of earshot, they all quickly scurried to the window, pushing each other out of the way, hoping to get a better look. They watched as Harry landed on the ground and was greeted warmly by his fellow classmates for his impressive flying. They watched as McGonagall marched out onto the field and beckoned Harry Potter to follow her. And they watched as Harry Potter, and not Draco Malfoy, was led away into the castle as if being taken to his doom.

Gossip and murmured speculations broke out amongst the students, but when Professor McGonagall reentered the room a few minutes later, she outwardly refused to answer any questions about what had just taken place.

"Reckon she expelled Harry?" Iris whispered to Eva as everyone went back to trying to transform their mice.

"Dunno," Eva replied, shaking her wand furiously as though that might help dislodge the spell from within her wand. "But for being Head of Gryffindor house, she seemed awfully eager to punish Potter and overlook Draco. You know, not that I'm complaining or anything. I'm right glad Draco isn't in trouble. But still, it's a bit odd, don't you think."

"Yeah," Iris said. With only a few minutes left of class, she had completely abandoned all hope of getting the complex spell right, and so resorted to just playing with her mouse on the desk. "If he hasn't been expelled, I'll ask him what exactly McGonagall said to him tonight in the common room."

But Iris never got the chance to ask Harry just what had happened, because while the two best friends were eating dinner in the Great Hall that night, they became sidetracked by something completely unexpected. And it came in the form of the Weasley twins.

"So, I hear this year," Eva said to Iris over a plate of roasted peppers, "we're supposed to learn about the first and second Goblin Rebellions, and those have to be some of my favorite moments in wizarding history ever, and… Something's wrong. Iris, I can't… I can't see anything. I can't see!"

"I can't see anything either, Eva," Iris said, thoroughly confused, though much more calm than Eva. Suddenly her vision had gone dark, as if all the lights in the Great Hall had gone out. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Don't worry," came the voice of one of the Weasley twins suddenly beside them.

"Yeah," said the other twin, a smile plain in his voice. "Just a simple blind-fold charm. Nothing to worry about."

"Why?" Eva said, sounding as if she was going to murder whichever Weasley she could get her hands on first.

"Easy, love," came Fred's voice (for George would never call Eva "love"). "It's just a precaution."

"A precaution for _what_?" Iris asked, reaching out with her hands, wanting to know just where the twins were. She felt her hand touch robes, and Iris blushed when George took her hand in his. Eva too blushed violently as Fred took her hand.

"Now, that would be telling," George said cryptically.

"Just follow us," said Fred, and the two boys rose to their feet, gently guiding Eva and Iris along with them.

For the first few minutes, the girls allowed themselves to be led toward the unknown without asking any questions, but as the minutes slowly ticked by and they seemed no nearer to their destination than when they first began, the two grew anxious.

"Fred Weasley, where are you taking me?" Eva demanded, coming to a standstill and refusing to move another step until she knew what was going on.

But Fred would not answer. And fortunately for him he was much stronger than Eva gave him credit for because he carefully approached a defiant looking Eva and gently lifted her off her feet and carried her the remainder of the way.

After another few minutes (during which, judging by the sounds and temperature of the air around them, the girls were led outside) George stopped Iris where she was and Fred placed Eva back on the ground.

"Okay, what's going on?" Iris said.

But she was met with silence.

"Fred?" Eva called nervously.

"George?" Iris asked. "Where did they go?"

Suddenly, the girls' vision began to clear as the charm was lifted, and they were met with the most dazzling sight they had ever laid eyes on.

They were standing in the middle of the deserted Quidditch Pitch, which was illuminated by about a million fireflies hovering over the field. The sun had set, making the tiny bugs the only light source around. They gasped, taking in the wonderment of the scene.

"You're ride awaits," said the twins in unison from behind Eva and Iris.

They turned to find both Fred and George each holding a broomstick in their hands, smiling broadly.

"Iris, if you would come with me," said George, extending his hand to her. She blushed again as she placed her small hand in his and mounted the broom. George climbed on behind her, and with a quick wink to his twin, kicked off from the ground and slowly circled the pitch with a hugely smiling Iris clinging onto the handle for dear life, but feeling elated with joy nonetheless.

"I do believe it is our turn, m'lady," Fred said, indicating his broom.

Eva wasted no time in climbing on and felt a soaring happiness grow inside her as he too kicked off from the ground and began to relaxingly circle the pitch.

OoOoOoOoO

"It was FANTASTIC!" exclaimed Eva as she and Iris walked into the girl's bathroom. She and Iris had just experienced the most romantic night of their young lives.

"It was," said Iris dreamily. The girls still couldn't wrap their minds around the awesome night they had experienced. Eva reached for the necklace on her neck and held it tenderly. The boys had taken them for a romantic ride around the grounds. Luckily, they hadn't been caught so the night had gone splendidly. They had also snuck down into the kitchens for a bite to eat as well.

"_Dios mio, que maravilloso fue!"_ Eva tended to lapse into other languages when she was excited, Iris noted. Iris could only wonder what she was saying.

"Sure, whatever you say" Iris laughed and Eva hugged her tight. She had missed the other girl and was glad she shared such a wonderful event in her life with her.

"I think Fred is the best man alive. _Sicuramente, que si!_" Eva exclaimed. Iris only smiled at her friend's happiness. She wish she could feel so surely about George but alas her heart was torn in two.

"What about Malfoy?" Iris couldn't stop herself from asking. Maybe she was unconsciously spiteful. Guilt ate at her when she spotted Eva's frown.

"I like him well enough but I think it's different from how I like Fred," Eva said thoughtfully. "At least _por el momento_. I'm only 12 almost 13, I can't really make big life altering decisions yet."

"I suppose you're right," Iris nodded. "You must be really hyped up to be slipping back a lot huh?"

"_Que? Was meinst du_?" Eva asked half-heartedly staring at herself in the mirror.

"Exactly. Since when do you know German?" Iris asked amused. She rather enjoyed her friend speaking in different languages, it taught her things.

"I'm sorry, Iris," Eva laughed facing her friend. "I picked it up from the Evergreen twins. They speak it all the time, so I asked them to teach me. I might as well add another language to my arsenal, right? I'll teach you if you want!"

"No, thanks," said Iris. "That can only end badly. Now come on. It's way past curfew, and you still have to walk all the way down to the dungeons." With that said, both girls made their way to their own house dorms. Eva's way was longer than Iris' and she had to dodge a few prefects along the way.

"Soooooo_, Wie war es_?" asked Izzy, shoving Eva to wakefulness. Eva glared at her but decided to let her friend know so she wouldn't have to deal with her any longer.

"Great. Now leave me alone," Eva said covering her head with her sheets, thinking the end of it. However, life was not that easy.

"No way_, Mädchen_. We want details and plenty of them," Alex said. Eva sighed and gave in, smiling. She hoped they wouldn't tease her too much about it.

"Alright, what happened was…"

OoOoOoOoO

While Eva stayed up for the next hour recounting the tale of what her night had held in store for her to the Evergreen twins, Iris made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She couldn't help but smile as she thought of the wonderful time she'd had with George. Flying around the pitch and the grounds had been wonderful, but what she'd really enjoyed were the laughs the two had shared along the way. He'd poked fun at her for being so afraid of the heights, and she'd retaliated by kicking up a splash of water at him when they'd flown over the Black Lake. He'd even let her fly the broom for a brief time, although he quickly took control again when they nearly crashed into the Whomping Willow. Flying wasn't Iris's strong suit. The hours that ticked by felt like minutes, and Iris relished the feeling of never wanting to return to the common room again.

But return to the common room she must. So at just after midnight, Iris pulled open the portrait of the Fat Lady and crept quietly inside. The room was deserted, the fire slowly dying in the fireplace. Fred and George had already headed up to bed, leaving the common room entirely empty. She sighed a long sigh of contentment and went to sit in front of the fire. What little flames remained warmed her skin and face, making her feel – if at all possible – even more happy. She closed her eyes, not wanting to go up to bed, not wanting this night to end.

Suddenly from behind her, Iris heard the creaking of the Fat Lady's portrait being swung open and ever so quietly being closed again. She quickly looked behind her, thinking that Fred and George must've made a detour on their way back to the common room and were only now just arriving back, but her breath caught in her throat upon seeing one Percy Weasley sidling into the room, completely unaware of her presence.

Iris thought about saying something, about announcing her presence, but she didn't want to have to explain why she herself was not in bed at this hour. So, she just waited until the Gryffindor Prefect hastily made his way up the spiral staircase and closed the door to the boys' dormitory.

She paused another moment longer. Where had Percy been at this time of night? Prefects weren't allowed to roam the corridors past midnight, and it was already 12:30. What had he been up to? More importantly, what could possibly posses him of all people to break the rules?

She sighed again, then rose from the floor and lazily made her way up to bed. It had been a very interesting night to say the least.

**There you go. Chapter ten is complete. But why was Percy returning to the common room so late? It's not like him to take his Prefect duties lightly. Hmm…**

**And if you're confused by Eva's constant use of different languages, fear not! I am always confused as well. When we write this, Eva throws in the translations for me, but I erase them when I update the story. If you'd like me to, I'll keep the translations in to help make it easier. Just leave a review or PM me, and it will be done. Other than that, we are done here.**

**Until next time…**


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